Jolene Garcia is a local TV reporter in Phoenix Arizona. She is young, 28 years old, and has made a few mistakes. She covers general interest stories and special projects. She recently interviewed a local radio host who is rather controversial. He has been very vocal about his beliefs on “boarder walls”. He thinks of himself as “America’s True Conservative Voice”. Jolene and her photographer, Nate get work that there has been a death at the radio station. The victim is non other than Larry Lemmon himself. Jolene thinks this could make her career epecially since he gave her his last interview. As she goes after the story she seems to always be one step behind her rival JJ. Jolene interviews, ex coworkers, Larry’s friend and family trying to figure this all out but as she gets closer to the answer she starts to get threats. Will she be able to figure it out and get the scope before her rival JJ does? There are many hot, current topics and even cultural debates in this book. There are lots of suspects and twist and turns are involved in the nice cozy story.

I started listening as soon as I got the email I got this book because I love a good murder mystery. And there were parts I really love but also parts that fell flat for me.

For a debut novel it was really good and I think if I read it instead of listening to it, I would have enjoyed it more. I wasn’t a huge fan of the narrator but overall the book wasn’t bad

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Off the Air by Christina Estes
⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 295 / Genre: Cozy Mystery
Audiobook Narrator: Marcella Black / Duration: 8 hours 30 minutes

Jolene is an ambitious TV reporter anxious to take on bigger, juicier stories. So when controversial talk show host Larry Lemmon dies under suspicious circumstances, she’s determined to be the first to break the story.

I wanted to like Jolene but her singleminded mentality to break the case no matter the cost to those around her who are trying to help her, did not endear me to her at all. This was an OK mystery but I wanted it to be cuter and funnier with more likeable characters.

Marcella Black did a great job narrating.

Thank you, @NetGalley and @Dreamscape_Media for gifted copy of this audiobook.

3.5 stars rounded up.

This was a cozy mystery about a talk show host dying onset, and then it appears like maybe he was murdered. We follow a news reporter who is trying to find out what happened to our talk. Show host while also trying to respect the people that she talks to that says not to use their names, or that what they’re telling her is off the record.

Every time our FMC, Jolene, talked to someone knew she gives you a tidbit of history on something that happened. As I am writing this review, I cannot think of one example lol. But I knew a few of the things that happened so I know that they were true pieces of information.

This book is for you if you enjoy:
🎙️ following a story as it unfolds
☠️ trying to catch a murderer
🧠 learning new pieces of history
💔 a story with no romance, all about a woman and her career.

Audiobook:
DURATION 8 Hours, 31 Minutes
NARRATOR Marcella Black
Audio-Specific Review: Marcella did a wonderful job at narrating. I believed that she was Jolene and I enjoyed listening to her tell me the story of the murder and quest to find the killer. I definitely recommend her as a narrator and I will for sure read more books that she narrates in the future.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook. I few things about this audiobook that didn’t mesh well with me. The narrator sounds nothing like a “news anchor”. The voice doesn’t match the female character The storyline is fairly slow for an investigation type story. Maybe if I read the book verses listened to it my thoughts might have been different. The author did a lot of research in writing this book which shows. Even though this is a made up story there is a lot of real facts in the story and politics.

2.5 rounded up

I didn’t love the main character, Jolene, mostly because she was more focused on her career and being the first to air the news than she was actually curious to discover the perpetrator and motive.

I don’t know if the character in general annoyed me or if my distaste is rooted in her priorities. She was just obsessed with wanting to win an Emmy and even went into detail about how the Emmy trophies are all individually made.

I also found the quasi-political commentary to be an interesting decision. I understand it makes the victim more dividing, but it also felt like an odd choice since it’s such a charged topic in America right now. (Maybe that’s why I didn’t like it though?)

Something new I am trying is rating the title separately in relation to how well it reflects the book.
Title rating: C-
Rationale: “off the air” felt misleading because as mentioned earlier, Jolene was always gunning for an Emmy and how she could get *on* air.

I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look into television reporting and how hard reporters work to get a story. I found Jolene likeable but didn’t really feel like I got to know here as the emphasis seemed to be on getting the story and not so much the character development. This would be a promising start to a cozy mystery series but I don’t think that was the intention. I would read a next in the series if there as one as I would like to learn more about Jolene, the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, and the TV journalism profession.

4 stars

For this being a debut book it was fantastic. It wasn't a typical "thriller," and I would categorize it more as a cozy mystery. It was fun to see the other side of things with reporters and how fast cut throat it is. It was a lot of fun to listen to. Marcella Black did such a good job with the narration. She had that young enthusiasm and hunger which fit Jolene perfectly.

if you're looking for a quick whodunnit that allows you to watch it all unfold from a bystander view (instead of the person actually investigating) then this is for you. I'm really interested to see what the next book by Christina Estes brings if this is the debut she's providing us with.

Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC. This is my honest opinion.

2.5 stars

The author sure knows her stuff when it comes to journalism! This was more like a book about journalism with a murder thrown in. I found some details/backstories to be overexplained and unnecessarily long, which made parts of it a slow read. I also didn’t really love our main character, Jolene, until the end, which I really enjoyed.

I both read and listened to this book, and preferred the audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute book and a good look into the news business and how it's changing. I love that Jolene was not going to back down or take anyone's crap! This was my 1st book by Christina Estes but will not be my last, I am adding all of her books to my TBR!

#OfftheAir
#NetGalley

I was not a big fan of this one. Everything felt forced and the FMC rubbed me the wrong way. I'm sure others will enjoy this, but it wasn't for me.

If you’re someone who says “politics don’t belong in books” then Off The Air is not for you. Me, though? I liked it. Jolene was a clumsy sleuth, but her knowledge of news media was really interesting and wove well into the details of this murder mystery. This definitely feels like it’s the setup for a series that I’d certainly follow. I enjoyed the politics and the deep dive into Arizona and the newsroom cast of characters. I didn’t love the animals cruelty and there’s DEFINITELY a lot of controversial political takes (though the overall book leans liberal, so be warned). It’s not for everyone, but it’s well done.
The audio narration is really well done as well. I’d read more if this became a series.

A journalist reporting on a high profile murder gets involved in investigating the murder in order to get a scoop on the story. I liked the little bit of background info on broadcast journalism that I know nothing about – it adds a little bit of interest. But I was not invested in any of the characters; didn’t love them, but didn’t hate them. I did keep going because I wanted to find out how the guy died, but at 90% the story revealed something I was NOT expecting and though it made sense as a catalyst, (POTENTIAL SPOILER) my dog loving heart broke and it really just turned me off. I enjoyed the narration and the FMC. I also appreciated that there wasn’t a romance hidden in the story; just a hard working woman making a name for herself.

This is an interesting cozy mystery. It was fun to peek into the worlds of local news and radio. As a Midwesterner currently living in Arizona, I liked reading about all the little tidbits about Phoenix. I feel like I learned a lot about a lot of random things. The mystery itself was interesting and engaging.

The audiobook was narrated by Marcella Black. She did a good job, but I had trouble believing that Jolene was a professional reporter. I think it was because the narration mostly came across as quiet and a little timid. I also wish there had been some sort of TV news- esque intro/outro music to set the tone.

"Off the Air" is the debut novel by experienced TV reporter Christina Estes. It is listed as a mystery, but it is more of a crime drama and police procedural except with journalists, not cops. The story follows reporter Jolene step by step as she tries to get a big news scoop about the death and possible murder of a controversial and conservative radio talk show host, Larry Lemon.

I find Jolene to be very unlikable as she pursues this news story. She gets more and more pushy and unscrupulous, turning off her friends and coworkers and seeming to not even care. It is a high stakes and cut-throat career. I bet the author could write a fantastic memoir.

If it was supposed to be a cozy mystery, any attempted humor missed the mark for me. Also, there is rather a lot of political content, which some people love, but it isn't my thing.

Marcella Black is the narrator of the audiobook. She does well, although some of the voices are hard to distinguish from others. There are a lot of characters to keep straight.

Characters - 3/5
Writing - 3/5
Plot - 4/5
Pacing - 3/5
Unputdownability - 1/5
Enjoyment - 1/5
Narration 4/5
Cover - 3/5

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me with this ARC audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 3/5 Stars
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I saw this one all over booksta, figured I should give it a shot, I do love a good cozy mystery every now and then but this one just did not hit that mark for me unfortunately.
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Jolene is a reporter covering the story of the death of a controversial radio talk show host. In this fast paced cozy Jolene will stop at nothing to get this story and finally step into the spotlight.
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In my little synopsis there are key words that are the reason this one didn’t work for me. First one - controversial radio talk show host. I had absolutely no idea that this book was going to be so heavily imbedded in politics. Now, I know that Estes was a reporter - but it felt like she wrote this book to just talk politics. I hate that, I usually refuse to read any books that talk politics because I use books as an escape and to be honest, I don’t discuss my political beliefs and dont care to hear anyone else’s. Second stop at nothing to get in the spotlight. While I did like Jolene, I actually found her a bit annoying in how she was literally not going to stop at anything to “get this exclusive” even if it meant hurt those around her. It was pretty tiresome to constantly have to listen to. I like where the mystery went and the reasoning behind the killing and enjoyed how fast paced it was.
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I listened to this one via audiobook and Marcella Black did a great job with the narration. If I weren’t for the audiobook I cant say that I would have finished this one.
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Overall, this wasn’t necessarily my cup of tea but I think that people are going to enjoy this one. Off The Air releases on 3/26, be sure to check it out. Huge Thank You to NetGalley, Christina Estes and Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This one wasn’t for me. I was intrigued by the premise but after 20 percent I could not get into the book.

🔲🎧OFF THE AIR by Christina Estes is narrated by Marcella Black.

Jolene is a reporter who is out to prove herself when a man whom many dislike as a provocateur is found dead. This story is her chance to outshine the competition, especially since she gave his last interview, but she may get too close and risk more than just breaking the headline.

I thought this was a decent murder mystery with many possible assailants. I didn't guess the murderer at all! There was a fair amount of political undercurrent and a fascinating look at the lines made or crossed in journalism. I will admit I hoped for a bit more from this one, but it may have hit me at a wrong mood. I had a difficult time connecting with Jolene and I am not sure if it was purposely done, but I was a bit put off by her journalistic decisions. That said, it was clearly a look into the pressures journalists must feel in our "like-centered" culture as opposed to deeper, longer form journalism. On that point, it was clear the author knew her stuff.

The narration of the audio was done really well and it made this story a smooth listen in-between the digital read. I really enjoy having both options to swap depending on my activities.

Thank you to @NetGalley @minotaur_books & @dreamscape_media for an interesting story that shed light into a world in which I am unfamiliar. This comes out on March 26th and is definitely worth a try!

The narrator for this book did an excellent job! I enjoyed the narration and I am glad I listened to this as an audiobook! I haven't read a lot of books that take place in a newsroom, or are about getting the next big story, so I enjoyed this. There is an underlying mystery about how the news anchor died which I liked to. I didn't love all parts of this book through, there are unlikeable characters that I normally am ok with , but a lot of these characters just didn't work for me (including Jolene's boss and some of her coworkers) There are bits of humor, and I like Jolene's skills as an investigator but I take ownership that this book just didn't quite work for me!

Solid debut novell, with good narration. You could tell the author has background/experience in local TV reporting! The book was a bit unbalanced as it was very detail heavy with info dumps on any and every aspect. It felt like a non-fiction environment would have been more natural for the author. Our main character, Jolene is desperate to make a career for herself in a cutthroat environment when a conservative conspiracy talk show host is poisoned and the hunt is on for the killer. She sees herself as doing what it takes to get the scoop, but often crosses a line. I didn’t like how her male coworkers were constantly judging her— it would have felt more natural for her to have her own crisis of conscience instead of it feeling like she was a hot mess and needed the men in her orbit to shape her decisions. That said, I’ll likely still keep tabs on the authors next works.
*Thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and St Martin’s Press