While this mystery comes across as a unique fictional expose on the life of an investigative journalist and the hard work it takes for so many people to report a top news story, it held very little suspense and an extremely annoying main character. The narrative frequently takes an unnecessary sidetrack to highlight the sites and scenery of Arizona and the mystery is lost in all the talk of important dates and events in past news history, which does nothing to further the storyline. I felt that there was too much political fervor and both liberal and conservative adversaries were made into cartoonish figures. Overall, I was unsure if this book was supposed to be humorous, serious, or tongue-in-cheek.

My sincere thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jolene Garcia feels the need to prove herself as a reporter for a Phoenix TV station. She is very ambitious and is in a strong competition with a reporter at a competitor. When a local shock jock radio host dies she is on the story and has a leg up on the competition because she had recently interviewed Larry Lemmon.

We follow Jolene as she works to get exclusive interviews and usually gets beaten out by locals and now national networks. But she keeps working at it even ticking off her colleagues. A lot of the book is about her struggles in a newsroom where journalism isn't always the standard for what stories to cover and now there's all the digital requirements: posting on Facebook and Instagram.

The mystery of who killed Larry Lemmon was solved by Jolene and interestingly, the killer ended up getting lots of sympathy, Larry really wasn't a nice guy. Full disclosure: I spent my earlier career in local TV news, behind the scenes, so I really enjoyed that part of the story. I thought the author did a great job of showing what it's like in a newsroom...definitely not for the faint of heart anymore. Although I never knew anyone to put their life in danger for a story!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I haven't read a lot of books that take place in a newsroom, or are about getting the next big story, so I enjoyed this. There is an underlying mystery about how the news anchor died which I liked to. I didn't love all parts of this book through, there are unlikeable characters that I normally am ok with , but a lot of these characters just didn't work for me (including Jolene's boss and some of her coworkers) There are bits of humor, and I like Jolene's skills as an investigator but I take ownership that this book just didn't quite work for me!

Most of this book drove me crazy because while I may agree with the authors politics to some extent, I generally read to get away from it and this book is definitely in your face about the current political climate. Also, the media is taking a beating as well and...well this book made me dislike it even more, lol. I don't read much non-fiction, and this felt very much like a non-fiction expose. Jolene is not remotely likable, so it felt like a chore to hope something good happened to her. Was it a well written story? Yes, it was. The author most definitely is able to get her thoughts across clearly. Who murdered the "Rush Limbaugh" ish radio host? I figured out the who early on, but the why eluded me until the end

Solid debut novel. You could tell the author has background/experience in local TV reporting! The book was a bit unbalanced as it was very detail heavy with info dumps on any and every aspect. It felt like a non-fiction environment would have been more natural for the author. Our main character, Jolene is desperate to make a career for herself in a cutthroat environment when a conservative conspiracy talk show host is poisoned and the hunt is on for the killer. She sees herself as doing what it takes to get the scoop, but often crosses a line. I didn’t like how her male coworkers were constantly judging her— it would have felt more natural for her to have her own crisis of conscience instead of it feeling like she was a hot mess and needed the men in her orbit to shape her decisions. That said, I’ll likely still keep tabs on the authors next works. PS- solid narration for the audiobook.
*Thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and St Martin’s Press

"Off the Air" was a fun lesson on the risk-taking and competitive world of journalism. Journalist Jolene Garcia finds herself chasing the story of a murdered talk-show host, Larry Lemmon. As she works the story, we meet her co-workers who are sometimes supportive and sometimes irritating, as well as some of her contacts in getting at the truth. The lead Specials Investigations detective, Jim, helps her as much as he can while trying to give her boundaries, which leads to bander that is fun to read. Putting herself in danger to get the ending to this "big story", Joleneproves her determination in getting the answers she needs, and finding out ugly truths along the way. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press-Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #OfftheAir

Jolene Garcia is such a fun character, I thoroughly enjoyed this debut mystery set in the world of a newspaper reporter investigating the murder of a controversial radio talk show host. To me, it had the vibes of Finlay Donovan or Stephanie Plum, especially when Jolene's competitors kept getting the scoop and beating her on her leads.

The storyline in Off the Air was extremely current and felt like a 'this could really happen' plot. I felt some of the pressure that reporters must be under to be the first to report a lead, and to make sure they have the inside story. The funny parts were just humorous enough, without sliding into silliness. All in all, this was a truly enjoyable mystery.

This book has all the makings of a first in a series novel. I certainly hope that Christina Estes continues with this character, and with the rivalry between Jolene and her arch nemesis, J.J., for at least a few more books. The side characters are interesting and provide plenty of opportunity for further storylines, as well as the final pages leaving an opening for a next novel.

hank you to Netgalley ad St. Martin's Press-Minotaur Books for the digital ARC of Off the Air by Christina Estes. The opinions in this review are my own.

An interesting story with insights into the layered world of reporting. The main character, Jolene faces a variety of challenges while investigating a murder. It’s hard to tell who can be trusted and equally difficult to be the first reporter to uncover a source. The focus was more on the reporting than the mystery, though the conclusion to the mystery was a good twist.

The only thing I liked about this novel is the location -- Arizona. Being familiar with the area, it was nice to read about them. But that still didn't persuade me to like the novel.

Off the Air reads like lessons in newsroom/journalism operations. The journalism ops pretty much took front and center, while the murder-mystery took a back seat. It got boring after a while.

The novel gives off a cozy mystery vibe. But the setting isn't the typical restaurant, bakery, or B&B. And there was just too much political commentary. But I guess it stands to reason since the setting is a newsroom.

There wasn't anything exciting or noteworthy murder-wise to keep me going. So, at 33% I gave up. Frustrated. An unfortunate 1 star DNF.

I was invited to read a DRC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

3.5 stars

The description for this one is really what made it sound interesting. However, I do think that it, along with this being branded a mystery, is why some of the ratings could be better. The description is mostly right just wrong on one key detail.

We follow Jolene Garcia, a reporter for one of the TV news stations in Phoenix, Arizona. Jolene grew up in foster care until her Grandmother was able to take her in. Even with this, we didn't get to see much of how that might have impacted her life outside of some mentions. This leads us to assume she has not let it affect her. Jolene is a workaholic with no seeming social life or friends outside of work. She doesn't cook, as in everything is take-out or microwavable at her home, thus we are treated to several descriptions of eateries around Phoenix. Two character facts brought up a lot are that she chews her nails when stressed, so quite often, and is terrified of all dogs after a childhood accident.

Our story revolves around the recent death of controversial talk show host Larry Lemmon. Jolene was lucky enough to be the last person to interview him. This should give her an edge over the other stations but she quickly falls behind her nemesis who cares more about screentime than accuracy. Jolene is determined to report the facts without burning her sources. She is trying to follow the story while being pushed by producers to be sensational and don't forget to update social media everywhere you go.

This is a very quick read. The pacing moves us along the story without feeling like it is jumping around or leaving pieces out.

Now the details I feel were off from the description might not be everyone's opinion. I don't think this is a mystery. Sure there is the murder case in the background but Jolene doesn't focus on that. She isn't trying to solve the murder just find a new angle for her story. Sure Jolene has a list of suspects and she will think about why they could or couldn't be the killer sometimes. However, she chases them down for an interview more than justice. Also, she wants the interviews so bad because she feels like the nemesis has beaten her to the story too many times due to her lack of journalism ethics. Realistically no investigating was done on Jolene's part.

Even with all that being said this wasn't a bad book. I will think of this as a quick fiction read personally. The character could have been given more depth. However, the way and reason Mr. Lemmon got killed was pretty understandable; it made you sympathize with the person responsible a bit. Though thinking back on one point involving Max I don't see how that happened.

2.5⭐️

The blurb describes this book as “equal parts thought-provoking and entertaining,” and I guess technically that is accurate- in that it is every bit as thought-provoking as it is entertaining. Unfortunately, I found it to be not very much of either. I started reading “Off the Air” eager to dive in, but I ended up limping through this not terrible but not terribly eventful or memorable tale.

Thank you Christina Estes, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

2.5 stars rounded up since it's a debut.

It was an objectively well written book. It just wasn't the story I was expecting. I went in thinking it would focus on the mystery as we followed Jolene, a journalist, as she investigated the murder. But it focused very heavily on the behind the scenes of the journalism career and the politics of Arizona. I don't personally care for politics in my reads, as I read to escape. And I also felt a bit lost by all the journalism jargon.

All that to say, I think this a well written book that would be great for a certain audience. I'm just not that audience. The parts that focused on the actual mystery were super interesting to me, it was just the rest of it that lost me.

Thank you to St Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Jolene Garcia is a local TV news reporter in Phoenix. Her latest interview was with Larry Lemmon a conservative radio talk show host. When he dies Jolene and her camera man rush to the radio station hoping to scoop the story. However her nemesis JJ Jackson is also trying to scoop the story as well. Jackson always seems to be a step ahead of Garcia. There are plenty of people who wouldn't mourn Lemmon's demise. The competitive field of journalism is portrayed both seriously and humorously. Who killed Larry Lemmon and who gets the scoop? Readers will have an enjoyable read while finding the answers to these questions.

Christina Estes has written a quirky debut. She draws from her own experience journalistic career for a behind the scenes look at what it takes currently to succeed in broadcast journalism. The novel has already won The Tony HIllerman Prize for Best First Mystery Set in the Southwest
I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and look forward to Christina Estes's next book.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the chance to read this novel prior to publication. Three and a half stars....

Although impressed that this is a debut this book was just not for me. It touches on quite a few politically charged current issues and I read to escape. I don’t want read a book that is no different fan just turning on the news.

The author is a reporter herself and that comes through in her writing. She clearly has a love for her profession and that aspect shines in the story.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was 100% one of the worst books I have ever read. The entire book was incredibly political which is fine except for the fact that I went into this expecting a mystery. And I guess there was a mystery, but it was like 2% of the book. The majority of this book was focused on Jolene's career which was a total snooze fest. and don't even get me started on all the explanations in this book!! I felt like I was being mansplained to every time the author started describing in detail something that 90% of people already know.

This book is about a reporter, Jolene, who is investigating the murder of a controversial talk show host in Phoenix. The author is a reporter herself, so much of the story is about behind-the-scenes of journalism rather than solving the mystery. She also gives us random facts about places/things/historical events in Phoenix that had nothing to do with the story.

I didn’t particularly like the main character and didn’t feel like we got to know the other characters well because there were just so many of them. I’m still not sure who is who between Ralph, Phillip, Darrell, and David (why are those names so similar?!). I also have no idea why the new neighbor was introduced- maybe a red herring that fell flat?

The book was a super quick read and I had no idea who the killer was, but it’s not one I’ll remember in a few months.

The premise of this book sounded so good, especially since my husband majored in Journalism in college and a lot of our friends are reporters! However, I’ve got to say it was a struggle to get through and really didn’t deliver as much on the mystery and suspense as I’d hoped.

A few of the things that didn't work for me:

The characters felt underdeveloped, clichéd and unlikable. It's always tough for me when I'm not able to really root for the main character.

For a murder mystery, the stakes were so low. It felt like we were getting a lesson on how to be a journalist and gather sources vs. solve a crime. While this was interesting, I had hoped for more from the mystery.

Ultimately, it was anticlimactic for me. I realized 75% in that I had no idea who the killer was, and I simply did not care to find out. Then when all was revealed, it just wasn’t satisfying at all and felt very rushed.

Finally, it was way more politically charged than I thought it would be. The way these conversations were handled (and often glossed over or ignored). didn't sit well with me.

If you’re local to Arizona, you might like this one more because it does feature a bunch of real local businesses! 🏜️🌵 I also think if you set your expectations better going in that it’s very light on the mystery, you may enjoy it more. And you can definitely see the author's knowledge and appreciation for reporting. But unfortunately, I would not recommend this one. On to the next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was meant to be a mystery and I suppose technically that it was because there was a murder that had to be solved, but it definitely felt more heavy handed as a behind the scenes look at journalism and what they go through to get their stories. And while I don’t envy them after reading this book, it definitely took away from the suspense of the story. And man was there a lot of political stuff. I get that the victim was a radio personality who had strong political opinions and made them well known nation wide but dang it felt like it was being shoved down my throat and I didn’t enjoy that one bit. Despite the author making a point of saying that journalists are supposed to be neutral, every character in the story was biased. I like to read to escape and this didn’t feel like an escape to me. This was just preachy and teachy and not fun.
Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

DNF at 20%. I just couldn't get into this book. Frankly, I was bored. It was too bogged down with exposition and unnecessary information—like an in-depth discussion of the weather and an explanation of vehicle taxes and registration in the first chapter (why?!). The writing was very dry, and I found myself skimming A LOT. Sorry, but this one is not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for approving my ARC request.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the early review copies of the e-book and audiobook via NetGalley. (Available 26 Mar 24)

“In this Tony Hillerman Prize-winning debut, Off the Air introduces us to Jolene Garcia, a local TV reporter in Phoenix, Arizona, who splits her time between covering general assignments—anything from a monsoon storm to a newborn giraffe at the zoo—and special projects. When word gets out about a death at a radio station, Jolene and other journalists swarm the scene, intent on reporting the facts first. The body is soon identified as Larry Lemmon, a controversial talk show host, who died under suspicious circumstances. Jolene conducted his final interview, giving her and her station an advantage. But not for long.”

The narrative takes on a documentary-like quality, immersing the reader in the life of a local news reporter in Phoenix, constantly battling to stay ahead of the competition. The story is peppered with historical nuggets, such as the origin of the phrase “drinking the Kool-Aid” (linked to the 1978 Jonestown mass murder) and the reason behind tamper-resistant packaging in medicine (stemming from the 1982 Tylenol poisoning). The writing is solid, and the plot is engaging, but the characters could use a bit more depth.

Phoenix locals would enjoy the many real Phoenix businesses, locations, and references.