If you liked the movie Nightcrawler with Jake Gyllenhaal, you'll probably like this book. When we start the story, Jolene seems to have some journalistic integrity, but she quickly burns bridges and herself out by trying to get the scoop before anyone else can. She's the underdog normal-looking reporter and in case she wasn't scrappy enough, she was also a foster kid who was taken in by her maternal grandmother. If this book is setting up a whole world following Jolene as an investigative reporter, the tragic backstory makes sense, but if this is a one-off it was kind of unnecessary.

Jolene didn't need to be abandoned as a child to be good at her job. At no point does that backstory really aid the story. Honestly, other than the dog attack she suffered as a child, there was no need for any childhood backstory. Jolene has a crippling fear of dogs because of the attack, which of course means she repeatedly comes up against dogs in the story. It does end up working, though, in the grand context of the story, and she does somewhat face this fear.

I will praise the author for not including an unnecessary love plot point. I was worried that her cop friend was going to turn into a love plot point, but nope, just some good old-fashioned partnership between cops and the media. Another thing I really enjoyed was the history peppered throughout the book. As Jolene was investigating, she was also researching, and the author did an excellent job of blending the history of Phoenix and related stories into the story.

Overall, this was an enjoyable story and while the culprit might have been a bit predictable, I still had a good time reading.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press - Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This one wasn’t for me. Although the synopsis of Off The Air intrigued me, the book struggled to keep my attention.
Thank You to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

This book wasn't for me - I DNF at about 20%. The writing style just wasn't something I could continue with - 3/4 dialogue and no nuance - and the story didn't grab me.

I am always looking for a new mystery novel to read. This book however fell flat for me. The amount of obvious red herrings bothered me. Just because they were so obvious red herrings. However I feel that anyone who is interested in journalism would like this because of how detail oriented the author is about the profession. I believe the author is a journalist as well. All in all I was looking for so much more from this.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

*****Publishing March 26, 2024****

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ When a controversial local radio host, Larry Lemmon, collapses and dies at work after eating a cookie and drinking coffee, the news are vying to get the details and report it first. Jolene Garcia is an award-winning local TV reporter assigned to this breaking news. When JJ, a competing reporter, gets the coveted interviews first, can Jolene think outside the box and come out on top? Jolene knows how important this is to boost her career. Can she be the first to bring a factual full story?

This author has you laughing from the first chapter! I loved the cut-throat portrayal of the news vying for the same breaking news! Also, I loved how Larry’s death became a murder mystery through the eyes of reporters. I loved all the twists and turns as I didn’t see the end coming! This made for a fun and entertaining read! I also enjoyed how it was set in AZ as I used to live there! A great book to vacation with or bring to your next book club!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press (Minotaur Books), I was provided an ARC of Off the Air by Christina Estes via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. #Netgalley .#OffTheAirBook

I DNFd after chapter 2

This authors writing style was not for me and I felt it a disservice to continue. The premise sounded incredibly interesting, but I just could not follow with her writing. Pretty disappointed

Off The Air gives cozy mystery vibes and was much lighter than the usual dark thrillers i’m used to reading. It did get a bit boring and redundant at times, with back stories for pretty much every character. Personally, i’m not a fan of backstories if they’re not essential to the plot. This was a slow-paced read and the ending was very unexpected. Overall I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries. 3⭐️

Thank you to Minotaur Books for a copy of this title via NetGalley.

“Off the Air” by Christina Estes is a mystery set in Phoenix Arizona. Jolene Garcia is a local news reporter, pressured by her station to come up with breaking news and to relay everything into social media. For the station, it’s the ratings that count! When a right-wing radio announcer dies suspiciously, Jolene thinks she has a good chance for a scoop—after all, she was the last person who had actually interviewed Larry Lemmon. Unfortunately, she is upstaged by her nemesis, JJ, who not only gets the story, but looks like she might get taken off the story and get stuck with reporting on the best dry cleaners in the area.
I quite enjoyed this mystery—it was fun paced and nothing too graphic or violent. It was interesting (and shocking) to learn about how the news has become mainly entertainment. I haven’t lived in the US for more than four decades, but this book explained to me why I feel so uncomfortable watching the news on television when I visit. My only complaint is that sometimes the author ventured a bit into “lecture” territory to inform the reader of various social issues that popped up here and there. They weren’t really woven into the story, but were acting almost like footnotes.
Many thanks to Net Galley for an ARC of this novel. I will definitely read the author’s next book. My opinions are my own.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on March 26, 2024.

This wasn't what I expected at all. I thought it would be more of a cozy mystery but this is more history and politics. I was bored and didn't care at all about the characters. They seemed superficial and the story was not interesting.

Thank you to netgalley & St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review. Jolene is a news reporter who is investigating the mysterious death of another radio host. Jolene feels that this story could be the story that catapults her career into full gear. So, she’s determined to get to the bottom of it. I was excited to read this! It was different from most of the mysteries and thrillers I am used to. However, the mystery kind of fell flat for me. I as the reader was more interested in the mystery & detective work but I don’t feel that the MC was really focused on that. There was a lot of information/tidbits that came up and were never addressed after that. Which left me wondering about different things while reading. Unfortunately, it was too slow for me. Jolene was not my favorite at all. She was judgmental, whiny, and her priorities were all out of whack. She seems very childish for a reporter/journalist, so it was hard to take her seriously.

Overall I gave this a 2.5 rounded to 3 stars.

Christina Estes won the Tony Hillerman Prize for Best First Mystery set in the Southwest for OFF THE AIR. It’s clear to see why.

Phoenix’s assignment reporter Jolene Garcia is usually lobbed off track stories with human interest ties but when she learns that Larry Lemmon, a controversial talk show host has died under suspicious circumstances, she jumps at the chance to cover the story. She recently conducted the last interview Larry did so she feels she has an inside track on this case. Working with two VERY different cameramen, former boyfriends, a nosy neighbor who keeps trying to play Cupid and a boatload of crazy interviewees, Jolene is trying to put the pieces together to ‘scoop’ all of the other media hacks and just maybe find out what happened to Larry. Some of those interviews had me chuckling. It’s amazing what people will divulge when someone is dead!

It is not surprising to me that Ms. Estes won this prestigious award for I was very entertained with OFF THE AIR. The writing style is smooth and easy which leads to an enjoyable read and an engrossing storyline. I believe this is my first novel by this author but she will certainly be a name I add to my ever-growing TBR pile.

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

I tried so hard to like this book. It didn't feel like a mystery to me but more like a play by play of how to be a journalist. I was so intrigued by the blurb and thought it would be great but unfortunately it fell flat.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for my honest opinion .

🔍 C O Z Y M Y S T E R Y mini review 🔎 featuring “Off the Air” by Christina Estes!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤/5

When news breaks out that a local (and very controversial) talk show host has died suspiciously on set, local reporters all scramble to be the first one on the scene! The competition is fierce, but so is the pressure to get the details first!

Jolene Garcia is one of these reporters, and is desperate to crack the case first! She was the last person to interview the deceased and this gives her a one up for now .. but it won’t last! Now Jolene must partake in a game of cat and mouse to find out the truth of what happened! Could this story help her achieve the Emmy that she has always dreamed of?? Or will it put her directly into the line of danger??

Thank you kindly to @minotaur_books @reporterestes @stmartinspress @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This cozy debut mystery releases on March 26, 2024!

Off the Air

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was expecting this book to be a little more cozy mystery based on the cover, but it’s much more about the journalism when solving a crime.

Jolene is a news reporter for a local Phoenix station and competes for stories as a local radio show host is found dead under suspicious circumstances. She works to get the latest interviews with suspects on the case and stumbles into some trouble.

I didn’t love this book, it was much more focused on all of the reporting aspects and honestly didn’t put too much into the mystery. There were a couple of attempts at character building, but they kind of fell flat for me.

Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC.

Off the Air is a book that gives a behind the scenes look at the news reporter career, and what might happen when one of their own die. I'm not familiar with this author, so I went into the book with no expectations at all.

The thing I love most about this book is the behind the scenes info about tv journalism. I don't know how true to life it is, but it really drew me into the book. It was very interesting to see the dynamics of the different teams at work, and what goes into getting new reports to the viewers. It also has a lot of historical information about Phoenix that was really interesting.

The storyline was great too. I love a good murder mystery, and this one had me confused until the big reveal at the end.

Overall, I enjoyed this book! I like the author's writing style, the characters were all great, and the story kept my interest. I'm looking forward to reading more by Christina Estes in the future.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Mar. 26, 2024
Christina Estes’ debut novel, “Off the Air” is an in-depth look at the cutthroat world of television journalism in the modern internet era.
Jolene Garcia is a TV reporter in Phoenix, Arizona, who is always looking for the next big story. When a local radio broadcaster at a local station collapses and is presumed dead while at work, Jolene is desperate to break the story wide open and report something that none of her competitors have. Jolene exhausts all her sources and even dances on the tightrope of her personal morals as she tries to uncover the hidden truth behind the story but it isn’t until Jolene ends up in a life-or-death situation that she realizes how much she is willing to risk just to tell a good story.
Garcia is a young, cutthroat female reporter desperate to become the next big name. As she competes against men who have been in the world for many years before her, and women using their looks to their advantage, she struggles to find something that will make her stand out. Garcia is a likable character and although the conniving, manipulation that comes with her job is not something I could handle, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the underbelly of broadcast journalism!
Estes’ novel is refreshing and creative, with a protagonist worth rooting for. As a resident of Arizona, Estes’ story reads like a love letter to the hot and dry American city. She talks about its population and the gentrification of neighbourhoods, as well as important societal issues like immigration, which adds depth to the setting.
It would not surprise me if Jolene Garcia reappeared in more of Estes’ novels, and I really hope she does. I loved hearing about the world of broadcast journalism and all of its minutiae of working parts through Jolene’s (female) eyes, while I also got to watch Jolene solve a murder. Estes made the reader work to guess the suspect, but the reveal was believable and it flowed fluidly with the plot.
Estes is a new author, and it’s obvious she has some insane burgeoning talent. Normally, this would not be a novel that I would immediately gravitate to (I prefer the darker, suspenseful genres) but I’m glad I was given the oppourtunity to expand my horizons. I will add another author to my TBR list and I look forward to the (possible?) return of Jolene Garcia and the (definite) return of Christina Estes.

Off the Air is set in Phoenix, Arizona and I enjoyed the local flavor. Jolene is a reporter at a local news station and recently interviewed a right-wing radio talk show host. Now that host, Larry Lemmon, has died at the radio station and the circumstances are suspicious.
Jolene is interested in solving the mystery, but only so she can get the ‘scoop’. The mystery is mostly lost behind complaints about multi-media news and competition in the news media. Jolene wants to win an Emmy and is totally focused on that. I really started losing interest in the story when it became obvious she didn’t really care who did it as long as she gets the story.
The mystery itself was definitely short-changed.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

3 stars

Thank you for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This debut was just ok for me. You can tell the author loved her journalism career and see evidence throughout.

The mystery was a little slow for me and the reason for the murder at the end was…?

Make sure you check trigger warnings.

I truly cannot say how much I dislike writing poor reviews. I tried so hard to like this one but I could not connect with any characters and especially disliked the main character.. I also did not care about the mystery, and would have DNF if I had not received a netgalley ARC.