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.

I am not really sure what the author was trying to go for with this book. I noticed that there were so many moments when the protagonist could have proven herself to her boss and especially her peers and yet, she felt short every time it seemed like. Everyone seemed to really be down on her and about to give up on her being able to provide willing sources to corroborate her news story. There were so many characters who were racist and sexist and yet, they never learned anything from Jolene. Larry and other radicals keep spewing their political commentary and I came to read a book to escape, not to feel down about our current existences.

I just could not enjoy this story like I wanted to and am very disappointed in the murder story conclusion. Even the newsroom antics could not keep me entertained, kept falling asleep to this!

Jolene Garcia has her mind set on making it big as a journalist, especially after a premature report sets back her career. She has vowed never to do that again but finds that her reluctance to not push sets her in the back of a field of reporters covering Larry Lemmon’s murder. She just needs a break, even if it puts her in danger in Christina Estes’ Off the Air.

First off, I found Christina Estes’ telling of this story to be fresh although I’m not always sure that I was a fan of how she would give a briefing on the background of each character she introduced. I think most of us are more used to a very subtle description and sometimes this felt like the author providing the character description she’d written up. Was it bad? I don’t know. I appreciated it sometimes as it provided color. Sometimes I could imagine it just added a bit more information than the reader needed. But I will definitely concede that it was different storytelling, perhaps influenced by the author’s report background.

Jolene was an interesting character. I didn’t always identify with her and by that I mean that sometimes I thought she was overly impulsive, unsympathetic and rude. Perhaps the addition of a character (other than Oscar her goldfish) that she actually cared for her would have made her more personable, someone who showed her humanity. That said, I don’t think the reader needs to always like a character for a book to work. In this case, Off the Air worked but would have been better with a slightly more empathetic main character as Jolene’s need to be the star and not just the solver of a mystery took over. Her impulsiveness crossed out her intelligence and put her in a position of needing to be saved.

As far as the story, I did like that Estes drew the reader in many different directions, showing us a lot of people who could have easily committed murder. She did this very well and gave us an exciting almost ending. Yes, the book didn’t end after the mystery was solved. Meh.

While I was reading I knew that this book would not get the stars it probably deserved because of its subject matter that some of a particular political orientation might object to and it hasn’t. I really think Christina Estes did a wonderful job of showing how real journalism matters but that it will never change mindsets if they are made, especially when they have their minds set against the media. I do feel that media behavior is on the audience, though. Many might say that they don’t like the intrusiveness, but they are also the ones clinging to every words when something bad happens.

I am looking forward to another Christina Estes novel. I’d like to see how she evolves from this starting point.

On a side note, I really wish the publisher had not elected to have the trigger warnings at the end. How many really go there to read the warnings? Would I have still read this after seeing the animal cruelty warning (for me a trigger)? Probably, but I might have been prepared.

Many thanks to Minotaur Books for sending me a copy.

Off The Air is the debut novel by Christina Estes. It features a reporter at an Arizona station where things are fairly routine until the murder.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC!

Dollycas's Thoughts 

Local TV reporter Jolene Garcia covers a wide variety of assignments. Recently she landed an interview with controversial conservative radio talk show host Larry Lemmon. It turns out to be his final interview because he has now died under "suspicious circumstances" during his show. Jolene and her station think she will get the inside scoop because of that interview but another reporter seems always to be one step ahead of her. Jolene's main source refuses to give her anything on the record and her boss is turning up the heat so she decides to make her own scoop by solving the case herself. That works as long as she doesn't become the next victim.

____

Christina Estes, an award-winning reporter herself is writing what she knows. News reporting has been changing and her protagonist's station seems to finally getting on board with where people are getting their news. It's all about tweets, clicks, shares, and "sexy" stories and the competition to do it all first, sometimes even when you don't have the facts.

The mystery is not a typical whodunit. Reporter Jolene Garcia is chasing a story, not a killer, at least at first. This made the story drag in places and get bogged down with things that weren't pertinent to the mystery. I have never been to Arizona so some of the information was interesting but I wanted more focus on the matters at hand. There were a few twists but Jolene was really clueless when she came eye-to-eye with the killer setting up an exciting showdown. I will admit the person wasn't on my radar either, but the story was written to keep everyone in the dark until the killer gave his summation. After hearing it I was sympathetic to his reasoning but couldn't defend his actions.

The story touches on several themes/subjects throughout including politics. I am sure the victim had a certain red hat. I was surprised to get to the end of the book to find a "Content Advisory" "This story contains references to" with the following list in alphabetical order.

Ageisms
Animal Cruelty
Child Neglect
Classism
Homelessness
Racism
Sexism
Sexual Coercion
Substance Abuse.

I believe this "Advisory" should have been at the beginning of the book, not at the end.

Off the Air was an entertaining story focusing more on the cutthroat world of journalism than a murder mystery. I understand why the book won the Tony Hillerman Award for a mystery set in the southwestern United States by a first-time author. There are several references to real places in Phoenix and information about the Phoenix Indian School and other local history. I do believe this author has promise and would be open to reading her next effort, maybe in a different genre or more mystery-focused.

Ebook/Cosy Mystery. I want to thank Netgalley for letting me have a ARC of this book. However, with all the hype around it, I found the novel average. As someone who worked in radio and newspaper (not a reporter), I found some of the plot did not make sense. The TV station has three outside cameramen. I can see one for the tip reporter, but most reporters learn the equipment, set up the shots, do a segment, and edit it themselves. Most radio shows do not have an engineer like Frasier. That is a thing of the past. And finally, a reporter would be fired for even thinking of talking to CNN before a formal interview with their own station and their affiliate would be next...not CNN.
The novel tried to give the characters humanity., but I never felt it. I skipped over the fun fact fillers about cyanide and landscape. The killer came out of left field with a big huh.