Off the air is the debut novel by Christina Estes. I was hoping for a funny cozy mystery, but was disappointed. It was really hard to get into the book, as it was really slow-paced, and spent way too much time on American politics and journalism.
Thanks Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC.

Off the Air is a mystery that is about Jolene who is a local tv reporter in Phoenix Arizona and when the word gets out about a death at a radio station all the journalist swarm the scene. This book was my first time reading anything by this author and she did a good job writing this book. It was a decent read with a fun mystery. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good or cozy mystery read. Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for this ARC read in exchange of my honest review of Off the Air by Christina Estes.

As always, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this advanced reader ‘s copy. Christina Estes~ thank you for a great book with a character in Jolene that I absolutely rooted for!

The behind the scenes at the station felt very genuine and timely as it seems that the push is all about social media and the hits, not necessarily the actual news. There were several strong side characters: the neighbor, the source, the besties, that could and should lead to another book with Jolene~ I’d like to see where she takes us next.

Jolene Garcia, a local Phoenix AZ TV reporter happens to catch an interesting story. A controversial radio personality dies and there is a flurry of speculation, about the who what and why. All the networks and other journalists are vying to get an exclusive and any breaking coverage, but are they willing to put themselves in the path of a murderer to get the scoop?
This was just OK, I did not feel a lot of suspense with this story. I did find the behind the scenes in a newsroom interesting, but there was far too much of that and not enough story. The characters were likeable and well rounded, but the story itself just fell a little flat. It was good, not great. Thank you to Netgally and Minotaur books for the opportunity to review this one.

DNF at 20% it's focusing too much on explaining journalism instead of the murder mystery. It's not bad, I just think it's categorized incorrectly.

Every once and awhile I stumble upon a read that’s just not for me. Something where I didn’t love it, but nothing was necessarily wrong with it. With this one it was just a little too slow and formulate. I like predictable, but with some added bits as well and that was just missing for me.

Off The Air by Christina Estes is a quick and easy read. The author’s casual writing style will hook most readers and leave them happy. I was attracted to the cover and premise, but the execution didn't hit the mark for me.

Unfortunately, while the book has “good bones” and the making of a nice whodunnit story, I felt it missed the mark and could have been much more satisfying. For me, the casual writing style went a bit overboard, with the author trying too hard to provide clever commentary from heroine Jolene’s perspective after almost every dialogue. Too often the attempt to be funny landed with a thud. My other chief complaint is that the book delves too much into the current political landscape in an attempt to be relevant in today’s world. Some of it is germane to the character development of the victim and suspects, but the political references are too numerous and overdone for me.

On the other hand, one great highlight of the book is the author’s depiction of the professional working relationship between Jolene and Jim, journalist and police investigator. Estes shines here in reminding us in great detail what constitutes ethical behavior in both of these professions. If only we could see more of that in the real world.

I was excited to read this because of the description.

The characters were interesting. No matter how many times I tried, this just was not my cup of tea.

When Jolene Garcia hears there's been a death at a local radio station, she and her cameraman rush to the location. As she attempts to ascertain who has died, the competition arrives. Jolene does her best to try and get an exclusive, but it just isn't happening. Soon the police reveal that the dead man is indeed controversial talk show host Larry Lemmon. It also comes out that he died under somewhat suspicious circumstances. And while Jolene was the last person to interview him, she still wants and needs an exclusive, preferrably with information on who the killer might be. She works her way through a suspect list she got from one of her sources. Will she be able to find out who the killer is before her recklessness brings her too much danger?
This is Christina Estes debut novel that won the Tony Hillerman Prize. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Jolene is the most well developed character in the book. There were definitely times where I didn't like her or her choices. Overall, she is okay and very ambitious. I wanted to know what would happen with her.

There is a lot of information given as to how a television news program is put together. I skipped over bits of it, but it's interesting in general. It shows how much pressure Jolene was under to produce newsworthy material that would be unique to their station.

The plot moves forward at a decent rate. The end had a nice twist to it. One of the subplots wasn't resolved, unless I missed something. I can see it continuing in another novel about Jolene.

If you enjoy mysteries with an amateur sleuth that also give background into a profession, this could be the book for you. It's generally well written and interesting.

Off the Air by Christina Estes was released March 26th, 2024 from Minotaur Books.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my review.

DNF @ 17%

Yes there was a mystery, but the story was much more focused on the journalism aspect & I didn’t enjoy that. Also, was not a fan of any of the characters.

I do not feel bad…this book was BAD. I thought it’d be a light, fun mystery a la Finlay Donovan but it sadly was not. A controversial talk show host is murdered and a tv reporter desperate to get the scoop begins a trail to find the killer. The book is filled with conservative, racists, bigoted political rants - all quotes from talk show hosts/interviewees, and while none of the ‘objective’ characters seemed to agree with those rants, no one disputed them. I wish I DNF’d this book but kept at it because I thought there will be some sort of redemption but then was slapped in the face of SEVERE ANIMAL CRUELTY. No just no.

Off The Air
Christina Estes

This was an overall enjoyable story. I loved that it was a cozy mystery. The beginning of the story really intrigued me. The suspicious death of a popular talk show host and the reporters fighting for the opportunity to share important information. I did however struggle keeping up with the plot. There was a lot of extra information about the behind the scenes aspects of reporting that just kind of lost me.

Thank you @netgalley and Minotaur for the opportunity to read and review this book!

This was just okay for me. The main character was very annoying after a while and didn’t have much common sense. I think I’m just tired of the.se types of “heroines”.

Great premise and description but fell short for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

I’m going to highly selective with books from this publisher due to how they’ve acted in recent months. This was one sent to me without requesting it and meanwhile they’re not promoting other books. It’s okay but why is this the one?

Thank you to the publishers for allowing me to read and review this book.

Overall I felt this was a decent read. There was enough in the mystery to keep me guessing and trying to figure it out, but I just felt like the characters all fell a little flat for me. I didn’t feel like there was any draw to get back to the book and finish it, so it took me longer than usual to get through it.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to review this
I took journalism courses and wrote for the student newspaper in college so I genuinely thought this would be right up my alley. The female lead is tasked with covering the death of a prominent conservative media host (Rush Limbaugh, perhaps), and she just happens to have his last interview before he died. I found her...grating. Just overall grating..
I feel like this spent a lot of time trying to tick cliche boxes or political agendas that really didn't add anything to the story. Almost like it was trying harder to hit specific plot point then really meld them into great storytelling.

This was a cute story - overall not what I expected based on the cover - for some reason I expected a more upbeat and cute book but the tone was a bit more intense and dark.

The two characters that were a bit more confusing in terms of their impact to the book include Oliver and Nate. Oliver is the creepy neighbor did a good job of being creepy but I also think this character original intention was wiped halfway through he was sent up to be more impactful and instead we got a lack luster character.
The other character being Nate - I don't get why he got so offended by Jolene's actions if there was not an underlying relationship but alas here we are.

Quick a decent read but nothing too impactful for me. quite the interesting story that all stemmed for someone for dog abuse.

Jolene is a TV reporter who investigates the death of a controversial radio host, Larry. Jolene is determined to solve the murder to help her career and get her a big breakout story.

I would consider this a cozy mystery and it was a very quick read. However, I found the plot to be slow. A lot of it involved following Jolene around with very little happening.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

"Off the Air" by Christina Estes is a gripping debut that seamlessly blends the fast-paced world of journalism with a compelling murder mystery. From the moment local TV reporter Jolene Garcia steps onto the scene of a radio station death, you know you're in for a wild ride.

Estes skillfully introduces us to Jolene Garcia, a reporter with a knack for digging deep into stories that matter. From monsoon storms to newborn giraffes, Jolene covers it all with equal parts curiosity and tenacity. But when a controversial talk show host turns up dead under suspicious circumstances, Jolene's investigative instincts kick into high gear.

What sets "Off the Air" apart is its authenticity. Estes, herself an Emmy Award-winning reporter, brings firsthand knowledge and insight to the world of journalism, giving readers a behind-the-scenes look at the competitive and often cutthroat nature of the industry.

As Jolene delves deeper into the mystery surrounding Larry Lemmon's death, the stakes couldn't be higher. With her career on the line, she races against the clock to uncover the truth, even as the competition heats up around her.

Equal parts thought-provoking and entertaining, "Off the Air" is a must-read for fans of crime fiction and journalism thrillers alike. Estes's Tony Hillerman Prize-winning debut introduces us to a protagonist who is as complex as she is relatable, and leaves us eagerly awaiting more from this talented author.

Jolene is a local TV reporter who just snagged the last interview with controversial Larry Lemmon before he unexpectedly dies. Trying to catapult her initial advantage Jolene starts asking questions to figure out who of Larry's many enemies would want him dead. This was a fun look at the competitive side of journalism and chasing a story. While, I thought the story progressed a bit slow I still enjoyed the unique look at reporting. I would caution people to look at the content warnings because there is one part towards the end that people may find upsetting.