This book is a perfect example of why I hate the news and media: reporters who will do anything to get a story and don't seem to care about the people involved in them, news stations that are all about the likes on social media, and all of them not being unbiased like they should be. It's a world where honest, unbiased reporting seems to be a thing of the past, and those involved will do anything to get the scoop.

With that said, this was pretty well-written. The author definitely knows her stuff about the journalism world, as she spent many years being a journalist herself. There's plenty of talk of what goes on behind the scenes to make newscasts, and how the world has shifted from the printed stories of old to the new era of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. The mystery itself is pretty basic - a controversial radio talk show host, Larry Lemmon, has gotten himself murdered, and all the news stations are competing to be the first to get exclusive stories with the people close to him. You can easily see how this story could happen in real life, as Larry was a conservative voice who enjoyed riling up the other side. The political angle isn't terrible, but we really need to get over the thinking of everyone on one side being the bad guys and everyone on the other side being the good guys. It's tearing us apart having such black and white thinking, especially since things are rarely that simple.

As far as the murder goes, do I think what Larry did was terrible? Yes. Do I think it warranted murder? No. I was expecting a much bigger reason for why the murderer did what they did, and was a little let down when I learned the actual reason, seeing as how it all felt so hyped up with Larry being such a controversial person. It just didn't live up to the expectations I had made for myself.

I think this will appeal to anyone with an interest or background in the journalism and news world, and those who like pretty straightforward mysteries. Just don't set your expectations too high.

I overall really enjoyed this novel! Great plot and pace throughout. I also enjoyed the characters and found myself gripped with the twists and turns. I found myself really drawn into the details of journalism but if you are not a fan of politics, you probably won’t enjoy this novel! Overall I would recommend!

I was initially intrigued by this book, due to its unique premise. A TV reporter happens to be on the scene of a crime, while trying to get a scoop. As she tries to get more info, she takes on the role of amateur detective.

I found the journalistic characters, and their world extremely unsavoury and questionable. It’s definitely a dog eat dog world, and they will do anything to get the edge on their competition. I found it hard to empathize with characters who seemed so slimy, and this definitely hampered my enjoyment of this book.

I felt that this book was decently written, I just found the characters and their world extremely off putting.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book to read and review.

To be honest, I wanted more of the nitty gritty murder mystery part of the story. This reads very much a day in the life of a journalist. Unfortunately, this made for a very slow, at times boring read. The main character came across as whiny at many times too. If you are miserable in your career, try to make life changes. She complained about the state of Arizona, Politics, the change in journalism to social media, and the cut-throat nature of being a journalist. I wanted more about Lemmon's life and the challenges to find the killer. I guess I went into the book thinking it would be more of a mystery involving journalism than a play by play of a journalist's life.

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

Well I have a mixed feeling about this book. I liked the details about how media and journalism work behind the scene. This was very interesting to me. I also liked a murder story.
I am not sure if I liked the characters of the book. Hard to relate

2.25-2.5 STARS

As a longtime resident of Arizona, living just southeast of Phoenix, the backdrop for this book was the first thing that appealed to me upon reading the story’s synopsis. As a huge fan of thrillers and murder mysteries, the “whodunnit” aspect of this story pumped up my interest even further. Unfortunately, for me, “Off the Air” missed the mark on that front. So, while I enjoyed the local tidbits about Phoenix and its surrounding cities, the whole murder mystery just fell flat. Though I can certainly appreciate the struggles and ethical dilemmas faced by those in the media, that was not the story I signed on to read, hence it was not the story for me.

I was very tempted to pull a DNF, but I pushed through, hoping to feel something other than boredom. What I ultimately came to feel is best described as indifference. I was not at all invested in the characters, and thus, I didn’t even care enough to hate them as some other readers have voiced in their reviews. I have no issue with the writing, per say, or even the political undertones. What I have an issue with is the story itself, which became a study in journalism rather than the thriller/mystery I was anticipating at the onset.

Overall, this one was only okay for me. While the main plot was intriguing, I felt like a lot of the book was dedicated to simply talking about the journalism industry. As someone who is not in that industry, I didn't really care so much and felt this took away from the overall story.

Off the Air by Chrisrtina Estes is a well -written book about the entertainment business and contains a mystery. With thought provoking themes, Off the Air was a great read.

I thought it would be interesting to read a book with background information into the journalism world. In the end, this book had a somewhat silly murder plot and became political. I almost put it down, but ended up finishing it. If you like the journalism and politics piece, this may be a must read.

Off the Air by Christina Estes is a captivating blend of thought-provoking themes and entertaining storytelling. This full-throttle mystery is filled with dangerous undercurrents that readers will both expect and love. Once you dive into this thrilling debut, you'll find it impossible to put down until the very end.

Jolene, a television reporter in Phoenix Arizona is assigned to cover the sudden death of controversial local radio personality Larry Lemon. When it turns out to be murder, Jolene becomes determined to solve the case and scoop the competition.

Although the premise sounded interesting, the book just didn’t work for me. When the book started, I was interested in how Jolene and Nate went about covering the story. But about a quarter of the way through the book, Jolene seemed to loose all personal integrity and I wound up really disliking her. Plus, I never cared enough about the victim to become invested in what had happened to him.

I don’t think I’m the right audience for this book. The emphasis is definitely on the reporting and less on the murder mystery. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I was expecting more of a traditional mystery/thriller and this is not that (or at least not the focal point). I also found myself getting bogged down in all of the details around reporting and newsroom operations. There were quite a few supporting characters and I got most of them confused since there wasn’t much to differentiate them as far as I could tell. The biggest disconnect I think was that I couldn’t really connect with the MC’s ruthless need to “get the story” at all costs, including alienating her friends and colleagues and putting her own safety at risk. I think someone with a background in journalism is more of the target audience for this one and would enjoy it.

Pub Date: 3/26/24
Review Published: 3/4/24
eARC received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book was less mystery and more like a love letter towards journalism. I understand the author has a journalism background, but to me it almost read like a memoir. The plot was stale and the characters lacked depth. At times I felt there was unnecessary pieces thrown in that didn't have much to do with the plot. 3 stars. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for a honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Entertaining and actually informative!
In her debut novel, Phoenix AZ reporter Christina Estes has followed the well-known advice, “Write about what you know”, and the result is as informative as it is entertaining. When a radio talk show host is found dead under suspicious circumstances, Phoenix TV reporter Jolene Garcia wants to be first to break the news as the story develops. This naturally turns into a quest to learn whether the dead man was murdered or died of natural causes, which involves probing into all aspects of his life: targets of his controversial reporting, former wives, work colleagues, and more.
As Estes investigates, readers learn a lot about investigative journalism, TV news reporting, and the Phoenix area. I found the information about how the stations use social media like Facebook interesting and spotted some restaurants that might be worth a visit if I go to Phoenix! There were also some fun mentions of real events that I had forgotten or not known, such as an incident in Chicago in 1982 when someone put cyanide into bottles of Tylenol, leading to the deaths of seven people and the development of tamper-resistant packaging.
Narrator Jolene Garcia came across to me as rather a sad figure, living alone except for her goldfish Oscar, never cooking at home, and seeming to have no life outside her job. There is a lot of competitiveness in her industry, but some of her colleagues (and an ex-beau who works for the police department) show kindness and kept me from feeling negative about everyone.
The emphasis on journalistic practices dominated the first two-thirds of the book, so readers who want a lot of action or a gripping challenging puzzle to solve might be a bit disappointed, but I must say that the denouement turned out to be both fair and clever. I would definitely read more by Christina Estes.
I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley and Minotaur Books.

This book unfortunately missed the mark for me. It was too political, heavy on boring journalism procedures, and the main character was very unlikable. I couldn’t get past Jolene’s overall attitude towards everything, she was selfish and just kept rubbing me the wrong way. At one point there is a character, that must have been named originally but I missed it, she refers to him as Woman Hater constantly, no name. It was just weird.

The characters were not developed past the surface so they’re all very flat, maybe meant to create mystery when, frankly, there is none. The story included details on events or descriptions that did not add anything to the plot and made the book drag painfully.

I was hoping for an entertaining, twisty murder mystery but it was overshadowed by everything listed above, it was just not enjoyable.

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the review copy.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

This is a debut novel by Christina Estes who is also a journalist! I found this book really showed you a behind the scenes look at newsrooms. I found while this book was marketed as a mystery it focused a lot more on journalism.

I did enjoy following Jolene as she tried to solve what happened, however there were a lot of parts that left me wanting more. I am looking forward to seeing if this will become a series and what more Christina will write.

4 stars rounded up from 3.5.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of ‘Off the Air’ by Christina Estes.

I’m sorry to say, this has got to be the worst book I’ve read this year. The main character, Jolene, was self centered and totally unlikeable. It’s as if the entire world revolves around her and her journalism career, and while the author tried to bring me in, I just rolled my eyes constantly. She had not one redeeming quality. The competition with the rival reporter was petty and annoying. I hope nobody takes themselves or their jobs this seriously.

At around the 60% mark, I had to force myself not to rush and end it. I’m sure this will be marketed as a cozy mystery, but it did not leave me feeling cozy in the slightest.

Oh, and minor spoiler/trigger warnings for animal abuse and death. That pissed me off.

This synopsis of this book indicates it is a murder mystery, but that wasn't really the plot of the book for me.

Reporter Jolene works for a local TV news station, and is trying to spend her time on thoughtful investigative journalism while her boss often wants her chasing general stories and special assignments that are far less 'news' than general information.

Jolene recently interviewed Larry Lemmons, a local radio talk show host known for his extreme views, and for firing up his audience. When he is found dead, the race is on for all the local reporters to get the scoop on his death and who killed him. Jolene has the last ever interview with him, but her boss needs her to get there first with all other interviews. Jolene has a rival, JJ, who is a glamorous on screen TV reporter and has no scruples when trying to get the best information first.

The book gives us the inside view on the world of reporting and the fast changing environment as news gives way to ratings and social media clicks. Journalists are now multimedia reporters, expected to write up a story while posting to social media, producing teasers for TV broadcasts, providing written material and more. While the book did follow the potential murder suspects, for me the point of the plot was the way the news industry worked. I watched as Jolene changed from a woman with a need to follow a code of ethics, to a woman willing to do whatever was necessary to get the scoop and keep her job. It reminded me why I would hate to do that job...

The ending did provide us with the murderer, and it was a surprising twist to me.

All in all, not a bad read, but not quite what I was expecting.

OFF THE AIR was an interesting concept or idea. I was hoping it would be similar to The Maid in its quirkiness and pacing, as well as a focus on a murder through the workplace. While it does do the latter, it does so too heavily that everything else in the book suffers. Unfortunately by chapter 5, I knew this book wasn’t for me.

Jolene Garcia is a reporter. When local radio host Larry Lemmon is found dead at the station, Jolene investigates his death. I wish I could give you more details about the book, but the book is pretty much centered on this.

As I was reading, the book dives DEEP into modern day journalism. Every facet of this story is tied to this concept. In fact, it goes so in depth that the entire book suffers. It gives insight into the news business, but at the expense of anything else. I don’t really feel like I knew Jolene as a character. And the plot was just so bogged down by journalism facts, it ended up being less of a mystery and more of a fictionalized commentary on the news. This was not what I thought I would be reading, and, by extension, it didn’t really hold my interest.

I know what the author was trying to do. The author was trying to create a new angle on a mystery novel by placing the perspective through a journalist. The concept is unique and different. But it just went too overboard to the expense of the rest of the book.

Overall, I really wasn’t a fan of this book. But I think if you like mysteries and are really interested in modern day news and a new perspective on a mystery novel, this might be the book for you.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Jolene Garcia is a local television reporter in Phoenix Arizona. She not only reports on general assignments, she also reports on special projects, like how dry cleaners get stains out of clothing, important stuff huh? When news hits the airways about a death at a radio station, Jolene makes her way to the scene wanting to be first, like all the other journalists, to get the information out. Who is dead and how did they die? When the deceased is none other than Larry Lemmon, a controversial conservative radio host, rumors swirl regarding the circumstances, anyone could have done it, no one was immune to his harsh criticism. But Jolene does have something no one else has, she conducted his final interview, and that gives her an advantage no one else will ever get. But as Jolene starts her own investigation into who could have killed Larry, she herself becomes a target as she gets too close to the truth. How far will she go to solve this?

This story highlights the behind the scenes a day in the life of a journalist. It also shows just how much times have changed regarding multimedia journalism, the cutthroat approaches to getting information out first, bringing social media into the loop, and really just how far people will go to be number one. It also had many facts about Phoenix AZ, which were irrelevant to the story, and seemed like ‘filler’ that wasn’t necessary. With so many unlikeable characters, anyone really could have been guilty. The pace was very slow, the murder wasn’t really the main even with the sparkle I was hoping for. The ending didn’t have me satisfied, justified yes, the victim got what he deserved in my opinion. Keep in mind, there are some heavy triggers throughout the story, and very political, which is always a bummer to me. I prefer to keep politics out of my book reading vices.

I’ll give this 2.5 stars. With some fine polishing and maybe a little juicier less fluff storyline, there was hope. I understand this is a debut novel, so there is definite hope. I would like to thank Netgalley, Minotaur Books and Christina Estes for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.