Off the Air is a fun and unique murder mystery! Estes knowledge of investigative journalism breathes fresh air into the classic whodunit - breaking down a the murder investigation through the perspective of journalists.

I thought Jolene was an extremely well-written character. She is unapologetic in her methods for doing what it takes to get the story. I thought all the side characters were also well-developed and would be interested in following all of them in future stories.

The plot itself is a bit of a slow-burn, but I found Jolene’s perspective compelling and enjoyed learning the ins and outs of the newsroom, the cutthroat competition between journalists, and the different factoids about Phoenix.

The action picks up at the end with a satisfying conclusion. I really hope this might turn into a series - bringing back all the characters from Channel 4 Eyewitness News. Overall, a very well written and engaging debut!

Thank you to Netgalley, Minotaur Books, and St. Martin’s Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jolene is a reporter in Phoenix in a mediocre news station that is struggling to earn viewers. She covers a story of the death of a notorious radio host and finds herself in a web of unscrupulous people. Interesting storyline with a likeable protagonist.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published March 26, 2024.

The premise sounded good: a controversial, talkshow host dies suddenly and all the journalists are fighting to be the first to report anything newsworthy.

While I learned a few things about the rules of journalism, I felt the story fell flat. I was bored for most of the story and really didn’t care for any of the characters. It picked up at the end when the main character Jolene finally got a break and got the attention she’d so wanted by discovering who killed Larry Lemon.

Received this book via NetGalley.


This book follows a news reporter named Jolene as she covers the death of a Rush Limbaugh-type radio host. This book has a lot of information about journalism, ,a lot suspects for the murder, a lot of details to wade through and, unfortunately, the plot was too slow to develop for me. I lost interest about halfway through and can't see myself going back to finish the text.


Overall, I gave it three stars because I thought the premise was cool and it's obvious that the author has a wealth of knowledge about journalism.

PUBLICATION DAY: March 26, 2024

Jolene Garcia is a reporter at a local news station in Phoenix. When she hears of the murder of local media sensation Larry Lemmon, a far right conservative figure, she knows this is her chance to rise to the top of the Phoenix journalism industry. She had the last living interview with Larry, so that gives her the edge, right? But the competition is fierce for leads and Jolene must fight against rival reporters (and sometimes her own team) to come out on top. Can she solve the mystery of who killed Larry? And will she have any friends left when she is done?

PROS and CONS:
A behind the scenes look at the life of a reporter in Phoenix. I enjoyed the descriptions of the city and its neighborhoods, the intricacies of working with sources, interviewees and co-workers, and the office politics of a news station. Unfortunately there wasn’t much driving the plot in this one - there is an unlikeable victim and a repetitive investigation into his death. The author has several hot button topics that she expounds on, that, while interesting, do not further the plot…I liked it, but I didn’t love it. It does make me want to visit Phoenix again in the near future!

READ IT?
If you’re interested in journalism and mysteries - this might be the one for you.

3 Stars

I'm sure this book will find its right audience, but it wasn't a good fit for me. Aside from the huge amount of detail about the job of a television reporter, which took me out of the actual story, I could not warm up to the protagonist, Jolene. She somehow got a villain edit while the author seemed to be trying to give her a hero one. Jolene preached ad nauseam about journalistic standards and ethics, and yet she behaved quite poorly, to put it mildly, to everyone in her work and her personal life. When caught out for bad behavior, she was a petulant child about it instead of actually admitting that she was wrong and apologizing. If you're interested in a lot of details about the inner working of television reporting, you will probably get a lot out of this murder mystery. Thank you to NetGallley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for a digital review copy.

BIPOC Cozy-ish Mystery following an Arizona local TV reporter who's intent on not only reporting the facts first but solving a controversial radio talk show host's suspicious death.

4/5 stars: This is a stand alone by Estes which is a BIPOC Cozy-ish Mystery that features a local TV reporter in Arizona who covers general assignments and special projects. With plenty of twists and turns, Estes has crafted a mystery that balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Additionally, Estes' character work is great; the characters are well-rounded, complex and yet remain likable. Jolene's determined, dogged and at times goes a bit too far in getting information for her stories but in the end her grit and pride in her work are relatable. More than anything Estes brings her experience as an Emmy Award winning reporter to the page. This is chock full of the ins and outs of the business of reporting and how social media has affected how the news is told and received by viewers. This book touches on some sensitive topics, so take care and check the CWs. This is a nice read and I would enjoy reading more of Jolene's on and off screen adventures.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Quick easy read that had me turning pages quickly!!! Enjoyed the sometimes flawed heroine and her race against time and competition to get the scoop!!!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

Jolene Gracia is a reporter in Phoenix. She covers general assignments and fluff pieces. One day she is to cover the death of a controversial radio host. As they get to the scene, Jolene realizes she was the last person to interview him, which gives her an advantage.
As the mystery heats up Jolene is determined to find out what happened and scooped up all the other reporters.

This is good debut novel. If this becomes a series I would read the follow up. The characters are well developed and the book was fun to read.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Christina Estes for an ARC of Off the Air! This was a really cute cozy mystery. I really enjoyed the authors writing which kept me reading the book. It did have some slow parts and it wasn’t a “on the edge of your seat” book, but I enjoyed how it felt like Christina was talking to the reader and giving her inside knowledge of Phoenix. Jolene is a reporter that has just learned that a popular controversial talk show host, Larry Lemmon was just found murdered. Jolene has the last interview with him and she’s determined to make sure she reports all the facts first. Tensions are high when other reporters are stepping in and taking her information first, but nothing will get in the way of Jolene and solving this case first!

Well researched debut novel! Overall the book was well written and kept my attention. At times, I was confused with where Estes was going and what she was trying to achieve. The characters were okay, I did not feel a connection with any of them but that is okay-- they were mostly likeable and the plot did keep me engaged while reading.

A fresh, interesting premise to a mystery novel encompassing journalism with a touch of politics which tends to go hand in hand.

After news breaks over a death at a radio station where Larry Lemmon was found under suspicious circumstances, the last person and her station to interview him is given a brief advantage as the heat is turned up to the max.

Jolene steps up to the task to break the competition and solve the murder — an opportunity to make or break it in her career.

This book absolutely comes off a little more non-fiction for me. HOWEVER, I don’t think I would have written this smart and fast paced whodunit any other way.


Thank you to Minotaur Books, St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the eARC!

I liked the premise but the execution was just OK.

Some of the characters and dynamics felt overdone. Look at my hotter, more stylish and established friends. My rival is a vapid and annoying Barbie but somehow more successful. I’m the underwhelming, every girl who struggles at work. I have a tragic family history. Root for me.
Jolene’s persistence in harassing people because she keeps getting scooped is not sympathetic. It’s hard to read. Stop blaming everyone because you’re not that good at your job. At one point, Jolene injured herself and just buys crutches rather than go to the doctor. As someone in physical therapy, this pissed me off. You have health insurance, Jolene. Use it so the injury heals properly. 🙄
I did enjoy the handful of times the author took a little time to go into the history of different parts of Phoenix or the Emmy award. It was enough to be fun and informative but not enough to mess with the narrative.
It was a decent debut. This style of mystery is usually part of a series. If there is a second and the premise intrigued me, I might go for it.

A fresh premise for a murder mystery! This story provided a lot of details about the interworkings of journalism/reporting, which were very interesting. I liked the main character and the storyline was engaging overall. My biggest complaint is the redundancy in this book- Jolene’s boss’ behavior, Larry’s views on immigration, etc. There was also quite a bit of detail (about Phoenix or AZ in general) that didn’t really further the plot at all. Those elements made an otherwise great story a little slow to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

This debut novel by Christina Estes looks at how journalists put together a newsworthy story, from following up leads to putting "teasers" on social media to promote a story.

Jolene Garcia, a TV reporter in Phoenix, Arizona, is among the first to report on the sudden death of a controversial radio host. Hoping to outscoop the other journalists, she gets caught up in the investigation. Relying on tips from a friend in law enforcement, she proceeds to head up her research into the presumed murder. What follows is a look at the extent to which Jolene is willing to go to further her career.

While the story is intriguing, I found myself a bit disgusted at Jolene's tactics to try and stay ahead of the competition. She alienates colleagues, witnesses, and police contacts to further her career and, in my case, the reader. This is a fast-paced read and a good look at what goes on behind the scenes of broadcast news. I was expecting more of a cozy mystery, so I was slightly disappointed in what was more about broadcast journalists. I recommend the book; just go into it knowing what you'll get. 3/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Minotaur Books, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The publication date is March 26, 2024.

This was not my cup of tea. To me, this one was really hard to get through and was so political. Which is completely fine if you like that type of book, but I read to escape things like that. The chapters were long and the plot was really really dragging out the entire book in my opinion. Missed the mark for me

Title: Off the Air by Christina Estes
Publication Date- 03/26/24
Publisher- St. Martins Press
Overall Rating- 3 out of 5 stars

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Off the Air is a mystery with a lot to say. Christina Estes has an intro that discusses her as a journalist and how that influenced the story behind Off the Air. Journalism is something that has always interested me and the depths reports go to get information. We get to know the field, how competition between reports can come about and the pressures of social media and reporting. As a whole I found this book very interesting and compelling. Below I am going to lay out some things for you to know before going into this mystery.

This is the story of a reporter who is covering the mysterious death of a controversial radio host. If you take Alex Jones and make him a book character that is this controversial radio host. This is basically a retelling of Alex Jones’s terrible opinions and I wasn’t mad about it. The writing was funny at times and took heavy topics and made them informative and palpable. At times there are factual passages informing the reader of current/ past events that are still relevant today. Big themes are racism, immigration, MAGA and Trump. If you are not in a place to read about these themes do not pick up this novel; it is greatly politically driven throughout the entire novel. For me, these were some of my favorite parts. If you are not in the right headspace this will not work for you.

I enjoyed the main character a lot. She was entertaining, intelligent and hilarious. The mystery was pretty interesting at the start but got redundant from the middle on. I also really did not like the ending or explanation for the crime. It would have been a four star read but I just really did not like the ending which is a big part of a murder mystery. We do get a clear answer, I just personally didn’t love it.

I will read from this author again, all in all I was entertained and I’m not mad about it.

"Equal parts thought-provoking and entertaining, Off the Air introduces Jolene Garcia in Emmy Award-winning reporter Christina Estes's Tony Hillerman Prize-winning debut.

Jolene Garcia is a local TV reporter in Phoenix, Arizona, splitting her time between covering general assignments - anything from a monsoon storm to a newborn giraffe at the zoo - and special projects. Stories that take more time to research and produce. Stories that Jolene wants to tell.

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.

As the story heats up, so does the competition. Jolene is determined to solve this murder. It's an investigation that could make or break her career - if it doesn't break her first."

Get a murderous inside scoop from an author who knows what's what.

Jolene Garcia is a local TV reporter in Phoenix, Arizona, who splits her time between covering general interest assignments and working on special projects. Her most recent interview was with Larry Lemmon, “America’s true conservative voice”- and a controversial radio talk show host.

When word gets out about a death at Lemmon’s radio station, KFRK, Jolene and Nate Thompson, her photographer, rush to the scene-hoping to be able to report the facts first but she finds herself one step behind JJ, her nemesis at a rival station.

Emmy Award winning reporter Cristina Estes is a Tony Hillerman Prize winner for this debut and her knowledge and experience admirably shine here. This plot is right up my alley but something was missing for me.... it almost read like a nonfiction, biographical account of the journalism field, which could be fascinating for some, but slowed the story down for me. The political aspect didn't help either.

I did want to point out though, that Ms. Estes included a Trigger Warning with references to abandonment, ageism, animal cruelty, child neglect, classism, homelessness, racism, sexism, sexual coercion, and substance abuse. This is the first I have encountered such a warning in a book and I found it to be very considerate.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.
#offtheairbook #netgalley

Off the Air was a great whodunit mystery and I enjoyed reading from a reporter's perspective. I found Jolene to be unlikeable at times, although it was easy to see the pressure she was under to get the scoop first. This was an enjoyable read and the writing was wonderful.