Looking for a fun quick mystery read with quite a bit of background on the life of a reporter trying to catch a bigger break ? This book could be it.
Jolene Garcia is a local TV reporter in Phoenix, Arizona, splitting her time between covering general assignments-anything from a erratic weather to a newborn animals at the zoo-and special projects.
Stories that take more time to research and produce.
Stories that Jolene wants to tell - but only a bigger break will make it possible for her to devote more time to these. 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, completely by chance, conducted his final interview, giving her and her station an advantage.
But not for long... she needs to work fast if she wants to stay on top. The competition is fierce and determined.
My favorite part of this book was Jolene Garcia's character and the way the author used her experience as a journalist to give us a glimpse into the occupation and what everyday life is like chasing stories and competing to be the first one to break them. I loved how Jolene maintained her journalistic integrity throughout despite the lengths she goes to and the cutthroat nature of journalism. I also enjoyed the plotting and the whodunnit aspect of the story.
This book describes the modern world of journalism on so many different platforms, how do you get your news? Newspaper? TV? Following local stations on FB or insta ?
I received this eARC through@NetGalley and @stmartinspress any opinion voiced is completely my own, of course.

Off the Air is a standalone mystery (first volume in a series?) featuring a local reporter in the main role by real-life reporter Christina Estes. Released 26th March 2024 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 320 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

The longstanding advice to authors to "write what you know" is certainly applied here. The author is an Emmy award-winning journalist in real life, and the depth of background and verisimilitude are impressive. At some points, there might be a bit too much nuts-and-bolts description of getting the news to viewers, but overall it's interesting and engaging (mostly). There's a *lot* of backstabbing, competition, and elbow jabbing taking place between competing reporters for exclusives and sources which is exhausting to read (and undoubtedly to live as a day job also).

Most of the main character's colleagues are whiny, superficial, catty, and unpleasant. She's not a whole lot better in some ways, and her main police background source was an unpleasant rude boor (and should be punched in the face). The constant mistakes and frustrating coincidences were distracting and largely unnecessary.

The length is surprising for a modern mystery, and immersion isn't overall even throughout. The writing and dialogue are very good, the author can definitely write. Her descriptive prose is spare and smooth; her characterizations are well rounded and believable, and the dialogue is rapid fire and not clunky.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 8 hours 30 minutes and is capably narrated by Marcella Black. She does a good job of delineating the large cast of characters which span a range of ages, both male and female. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.

Three and a half stars. Worth a look for fans of journo-mysteries.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Off the Air by Christina Estes

Award winning journalist Christina Estes gives a detailed and frank view inside news organizations, both local and network. She knows her subject matter and shares the good, and the ugly, of this profession. Her protagonist, Jolene Garcia, is hot on a story concerning the death of a right-wing, radical, radio personality. The competition is palpable, and none of the characters are particularly likable. Estes paints a cutthroat business in a polarized world.

Yet the book has bright spots-- I was particularly amused by the protagonists relationship with her goldfish, Oscar.--and the mystery is complicated. There are plenty of misleading clues to keep the reader from figuring it out too soon. If who-dunnits are your jam, you’ll like this one. Estes is a skilled writer. Her style is journalistic, meaning you won’t get much depth with the characters and though the landscape is rich, the setting is minimal.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the review copy. The book was published on March 26, 2024.

Thanks Netgalley for a copy of this book. I loved the whole ride. Jolene is a reporter and on the hunt to find out who killed a famous talk show host. He was poisoned. But by who? I love how this book isn’t super serious and still has funny moments. It focuses on her as a journalist instead of just being a book about murder.

I appreciate that this was Christina Estes first book and I loved the behind the scenes look at the news and just how stretched thin reporters are these days. It's less about actual news stories and more about likes and clicks and views, something that we are all becoming more familiar with in this social media driven world. I however couldn't figure out if this was supposed to be a mystery, or just general fiction. It took a little too long to figure out who killed the talk show host and I found myself not really invested in the reveal.

This was not at all what I thought it was going to be.
It is well written and pretty good but I can't say that I enjoyed it.
It was just ok for me. Not the thriller I expected at all.


Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this copy.

3/5 stars

What was promoted as s murder mystery is actually a surprising and in-depth look at modern day investigative journalism. Jolene Garcia, the main character, is tasked with covering the story of Larry Lemon, a right-wing firebrand radio show host who mysteriously ends up poisoned. What follows is a unique insight into the techniques, sources, and frustrations of covering a breaking story whilst fending off other thirsty journalists and protecting coveted information for exclusives in a day and age where news is broadcast 24/7 on the internet both with and without confirmation of facts.

Where I found the journalism descriptions and storyline fascinating, the actual murder mystery for me felt like it took a back seat. There were very little clues and details given to the reader early on to even remotely guess at who the killer ultimately was or motive. The reader is more along for the ride rather than the one tasked with solving the mystery. As far as Jolene goes, I didn't particularly like or dislike her character. She comes across as extremely pushy and borderline cutthroat, but given her profession was not out of line for a woman in her position.

Overall, an enjoyable vacation read for those who like mysteries but are not invested in solving them within the first half of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley. Minotaur Book, and Christina Estes for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun story! I was completely rooting for Jolene to get the scoop on her story but she just couldn’t seem to catch a break. For a debut novel this book was excellent. The mystery was engaging and the timing was great. I loved the ending so much but I can’t elaborate without spoiling. The characters are fun & the rival, JJ was perfect. I enjoyed the descriptions & the way that current events were incorporated,

Thanks to NetGalley & Minotaur Books for the chance to read this book. I really enjoyed it.

Really well written - you can tell that the author has a background in journalism in the way that the character of Jolene was portrayed. This book is a mystery of trying to unravel the death of a radio show host, but we also learn a lot about journalists and their behind the scenes. There was a lot of political commentary which is normally not my thing (I read to escape the real world)

Jolene Garcia is a reporter in Philadelphia fighting covert real issues in a climate dominated by social media, clicks and political death matches

When a controversial talkshow host dies, Joanne‘s bosses are ecstatic because she conducted his final interview giving them an advantage.

It is national media descend on Arizona Johnson faces extreme competition from reported with bigger audiences and better scoops

With her current steak, Jocelyn pushes hard to break the case—-too hard for a killer determined to silence her

From the heavy to the humourous off the air pulls back the curtain and reveals the stories behind the stories that appear on your screens .

I loved this book, it was a great read, it was light hearted and it was a great read. I highly recommend this cozy read.

Thank you to @Minotaurbooks and @reporterestes is author for the gifted copy

This book was not a bad book for the right person, but it just not my personal taste in books. Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the ar i exchange for a review.

I think this was a good debut. It is well written, I felt the tension and suspense. I liked getting to know what the job of news reporters is like and what I read seemed to me to be very real. I will definitely read the next book and see what happens.

Pros:
Debut
Entertaining crime mystery
Thought provoking
Realistic

Cons:
Too political for me
Annoying characters

I received an advanced electronic copy from publisher Minotaur Books and Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview this book.

2.5/5

This was a tough read due to the constant info-dumping, the focus on politics and my disdain for the main character, Off the Air was not the News Reporter turned amateur sleuth mystery I was expecting. Jolene is a local TV Journalist who becomes fixated on the suspicious death of a Controversial local Radio host. She puts on her 'amateur detective hat' and along with it comes the revelation of her true reasoning for wanting to solve this murder, career advancement. Because of this, I feel that I read a book about Journalism and not the cozy mystery the author was trying to achieve, which is disappointing because the writing isn't bad even though the incredibly slow pacing could use some work.

It's an intriguing premise but unfortunately, this story fell flat for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for the E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I actively disliked Joelene and the way she treated people. If that is how television journalists are expected to do their jobs, I don’t know why anyone would want to enter the field. I also felt that the character development was very surface-level. You received more background on the wholly unlikable murdered guy than anyone else in the book. The reason for the murder made me super uncomfortable and glad the guy was dead. I did find Jolene’s interaction with her goldfish humorous.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books, and Christina Estes for the eARC.

This book was so slow for me. I’m fine with a slow burn mystery/thriller if the mystery is interesting and there’s a good payoff at the end but this book was missing those elements. The premise was interesting but it just didn’t deliver

This just wasn't for me. Honestly I didn't care who, how ,or why this guy was murdered. He was a horrible person. I read books so that I don't have to think about the real life people with these political views. I don't want to think about them while I'm reading.

Thank you for allowing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Local TV reporter Jolene Garcia covers whatever she’s assigned, with minimal complaint, but she becomes laser focused on the suspicious death of a local radio personality and is determined to solve the mystery herself. Jolene was the reporter who conducted the last interview with Larry Lemmon, and she suddenly finds herself in demand. Soon afterwards, though, her focus on Larry Lemmon causes her to be late to several stories, but Jolene remains on the hunt.

I liked Jolene, and felt this debut novel was a good introduction. Christina Estes has created a character that I would like to know better.

Jolene Garcia is a local TV reporter in Phoenix, Arizona. When words gets out about a death at a radio station, Jolene and other reporters swarm the scene, intent on reporting first. Jolene's investigation of the murder could make or break her career.

I don't know if I was the right audience for this book because I found it incredibly boring. It's billed as a mystery/thriller, but I felt like Jolene cared more about advancing her career than reporting on the actual murder. I honestly only finished this book because I wanted to give an honest review.

Thank You NetGalley for the free e-galley.

I had to DNF. This was so slow and boring for me. I know there will be people out there who will love it but it just was not for me.