Thank you to NetGalley and to Dreamscape Media for the ARC of Off the Air by Christina Estes.

I feel a little bit conflicted about this story. On the one hand, it's a great look at how messed up it is to work in journalism today and how much we let social media influence us instead of facts. On the other hand, it's billed as a cozy murder mystery, but the main character, Jolene, doesn't actually have any impetus to solve the murder so it all feels very forced while we then watch her disgust all her colleagues and people she interviews by trying to get the scoop for an unknown career objective. Jolene starts the book by wanting to do serious reporting, but within 72 hours seems to completely succumb to trying to threaten and push people into giving her a story - it makes her so incredibly unlikable. There is no big prize waiting for her if she solves the murder but she consistently pushes cops and witnesses to tell her what she wants as if it is life or death for her. She is receiving mysterious notes and information, but those seemed to just be placed for easy plot continuance, not because she is somehow the reporter who must take this case -- it actually doesn't make sense why anyone pinpoints her for that in the first place. She also has no emotional reaction to any of the potential danger she places herself in and that is overwhelmingly spotlighted in the final chapters when she takes no reflection on her actions (vague to prevent spoilers). She doesn't need to be having a massive breakdown, but she glosses over everything like its normal when the people she knows and trusts are all shocked by how quickly she gives up her morals and her safety. We never see what is actually driving her (if it is just winning a local journalism annual prize that is so flimsy) so everything she does just makes her seem like a terrible, selfish person. Just the issues with the man her neighbor is trying to set her up with and the fears of being in a patio level apartment when you feel endangered would be enough to turn me incredibly cautious - but while we see brief glimpses of this from Jolene, she seems to shrug everything off for a murder she has no role in.

In listening to the audiobook, it felt like the characterization of Jolene's few work friends were meant solely for comedic relief or conversation by minority women characters. The photographers Jolene works with had more in-depth backgrounds and actual conversation than her two friends who were a bit cardboard with an emphasis on being emotional caregivers to Jolene. As related to the above paragraph, I think all the characters needed more depth to be understood and a stronger plot line to be relevant.

As a debut novel the story has bones but I think the execution just needs a bit more work.

This story is told from alternative points of time, the past when Louise is a student at the academy and the present.

2.5⭐️

The blurb describes this book as “equal parts thought-provoking and entertaining,” and I guess technically that is accurate- in that it is every bit as thought-provoking as it is entertaining. Unfortunately, I found it to be not very much of either. I started reading “Off the Air” eager to dive in, but I ended up limping through this not terrible but not terribly eventful or memorable tale.

Marcella Black narrated the audiobook clearly, but I found her voice distractingly young-sounding. I hoped I would get used to it as the story progressed, but I did not.

Thank you Christina Estes, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Although impressed that this is a debut this book was just not for me. It touches on quite a few politically charged current issues and I read to escape. I don’t want read a book that is no different fan just turning on the news.

The author is a reporter herself and that comes through in her writing. She clearly has a love for her profession and that aspect shines in the story.

I did think that the audiobook narration was done well, even if the story itself struggled to hold my interest.

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for the ALC and ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the early review copies of the e-book and audiobook via NetGalley. (Available 26 Mar 24)

“In this Tony Hillerman Prize-winning debut, Off the Air introduces us to Jolene Garcia, a local TV reporter in Phoenix, Arizona, who splits her time between covering general assignments—anything from a monsoon storm to a newborn giraffe at the zoo—and special projects. 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.”

The narrative takes on a documentary-like quality, immersing the reader in the life of a local news reporter in Phoenix, constantly battling to stay ahead of the competition. The story is peppered with historical nuggets, such as the origin of the phrase “drinking the Kool-Aid” (linked to the 1978 Jonestown mass murder) and the reason behind tamper-resistant packaging in medicine (stemming from the 1982 Tylenol poisoning). The writing is solid, and the plot is engaging, but the characters could use a bit more depth.

Phoenix locals would enjoy the many real Phoenix businesses, locations, and references.

I listened to the audiobook of this novel. I will say that it was apparent that the author has in-depth knowledge of television reporting and the cutthroat environment it can be. I did not expect that this story would be so much about reporting and the ethics behind getting the story and less about the murder investigation. I did not feel that the main character, Jolene was very likeable, and I don't' think I'd want to read any more stories if this became a series.

The story is about the murder of a "shock jock" conservative radio talk show host who dies while on air. The man, Larry Lemmons, was a divisive personality, and it seemed he was a man who had many enemies. Jolene, the main character is trying to get the story and there were numerous incidents where I was disappointed in the way she went about things during her interviews.

After listening to this book it's safe to say the world of reporting is not for me. If this story had been less about reporting, I may have liked it more.

This is a debut novel for Christina Estes. She does a good job of showing the behind the scenes workings in the cutthroat world of journalism, and chasing down a story. There's a great mystery with a lot of interesting characters. I wasn't crazy about the politics, I read to escape hearing about the political landscape, but this book still was a like for me 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced listener copy. Marcella Black was great narrator.

Off The Air was presented as a thriller/mystery, but it's actually a commentary on the cut-throat and corrupt behind-the-scenes of journalism. It also provides a ton of history on Arizona and is heavy on the political commentary. Oh, and there is also a murder.

This is a very niche story and was not my cup of tea. That being said, it was very well written and fast paced.

If you are interested in journalism or behind-the-scenes stories, this is a great one to read. If you are looking for a thriller, probably not for you.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and the author for an advance audio of this book for an honest review.

This was an interesting take on a cozy mystery. A real life reporter turned novelist, Christina Estes sets her debut mystery in Phoenix Arizona.
It was interesting seeing all that goes on behind the scenes at a local news station. Needless to say, it seems stressful and not a job I would like. 😂

This story follows Jolene as she works to find out who killed DJ Larry Lemmons - and feel her frustration as she's out-scopped and worry for her as she starts taking increasingly risky next steps. Larry was equally beloved and reviled, The list of persons of interest is long, and one of them has taken an (anonymous) interest in Jolene. Letters start to arrive at both her home and office pointing her in the direction of specific suspects, warning her she's much closer to revealing the killer than she knows.

I thought it was pretty good. And would read another book by this author.

When a controversial radio host suspiciously dies, the local reporters including Jolene Garcia rush to compete for the story. With the network execs putting the pressure on ratings, Jolene tried to balance the need of “getting it right is more important than getting it first”. I found that this story focused more on the investigative process than the mystery itself. Personally, I enjoy the reporting side of things so although it was a little different than what I was expecting, I found it interesting. But in that aspect, it didn’t read like a typical mystery, even a cozy one. The author also addresses the change in journalism from old school pen and paper note taking to the evolution of needing a presence on social media outlets.
Off the Air was an enjoyable read from an author who knows the ins and outs of journalism. And while I would have preferred more character development of not only Jolene, but of some of the side characters like Nate and Jim, it would be interesting to see if that might possibly occur and a subsequent book. I think more focus on Jolene as an investigative sleuth would have given a faster pace vibe to the book.

Additionally, I also listened to the audiobook, superbly narrated by Marcella Black who was fantastic job transitioning between characters and setting the tone.

Jolene is a reporter who was the last person to interview Larry Lemon, a famous talk show host, alive. She is now covering his sudden death and is convinced, along with the police, that Larry was poisoned. Jolene is determined to get the inside scoop and be the first to report it.

I am sad to say that this one wasn't for me. I found the main character to lack depth and I had trouble feeling connected to her. She didn't have any personal connections in real life, other than two friends who were less close to her than she was to them, and she seemed to just annoy everyone around her, though I couldn't blame them for being annoyed. The book lightly touched on her childhood but not enough to feel like I understood Jolene at all. She didn't make good judgments in her job and the whole thing felt implausible; the book just felt very surface level overall.

I struggled to get into the book when I tried reading it on my Kindle so I requested the audio to try that method - it was definitely better and I thought the narrator did a good job with it. While I was able to get through the audiobook, I sadly still wouldn't recommend this one. I just wish it was a bit more exciting and that Jolene was a more substantial MC that I could root for.

Thank you Minotaur Books for the copy in exchange for an honest opinion!

After reading the blurb, I had really high hopes for Off the Air. There seemed to be a lot of repetition followed by the comment “as I said”. It really started to drive me crazy. While I was thinking it would be more focused on the crime and mystery, the author focused more on being a reporter and how things have changed in time. It also very heavy in politics.

I did enjoy the narrator though, I would of never finished the book if it wasn’t for the good narrator

I feel someone who wants to be a reporter would enjoy it, it’s something that I’m not into.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advance copy in exchange for a honest review.

Jolene is a local TV reporter who has stumbled upon her big break when it appears that a popular talk show host has suddenly died and she was the last person to interview him. She's blinded by stardom, or what could be given this scoop, but she's not alone. Jolene begins to make some questionable choices in pursuit of the next great lead in the story and soon finds herself in hot water. How far will she go to further her career?

I liked this light-hearted mystery! I found it very interesting to listen to a mystery where our main character is not a detective, but a reporter. They're eerily similar and both will go to great lengths for the truth. Very entertaining and easy to listen to!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook!

I DNF’d at 35%. It was so slow paced there wasn’t much happening, besides getting introduced to one unlikeable character after another. (ie JJ, “Sexy,” “Woman Hater,” and Larry Lemon sounds like the worst). For me to get invested there needs to be at least a few endearing characters and so far the ones who aren’t horrible are just kinda bland. My stopping point was when the MC started trying to guilt a source into giving her his permission to cite him for a news story. She sounds whiney and entitled after he reasonably explained why she couldn’t cite him.

I imagine the target audience for this book being anyone who is invested in the journalism field. The fixation on social media for news definitely sounds current.

Audio review: The audio production was nicely done. The narrator’s pacing was fine and her calm tone gives this book cozy mystery vibes even though it’s more about reporting a story than an amateur sleuth trying to solve the murder.

This was a great debut with a lot of red herrings. Yes it was a whodunit story, but it was also so much more and delved into how newsroom stories are conducted. This didn’t add anything to the story for me, as when I first requested it, I just figured I would be reading a cozy mystery, but it was also done well so it didn’t bother me either. I’ll definitely be interested to see what happens in the next book.


Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

If you like books with some politics and controversy and are not prone to triggers this could be a book for you. I enjoy finding debut authors.

How far are you willing to go for a story? Broadcasting is a cut throat business. The author gives you an inside look at that kind of job.

Triggers warnings: given by the author in advance, so be sure and look those up.

Thank you Minatour Books. This one out March 26, 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Dreamscape Audio for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review!

I was lured into reading this book by its description, cover, and title, but ultimately it was not for me. I considered DNFing after a few chapters that were way too political, but I decided to finish when I received an advanced copy of the audiobook. This book was 50% journalism, 25% facts about Phoenix and U.S. events, and 25% murder mystery. Around the halfway mark when I was reading about the history of a Phoenix neighborhood, I literally forgot that we were in the middle of solving a murder. For a book that specifically says “A Mystery” on the cover, it did not feel like the focus of the story at all. I also had trouble connecting with the main character, Jolene. At first I was rooting for her to succeed, but she quickly became unlikeable due to her unprofessional and questionable tactics in the cutthroat world of TV reporting. I really think this could have been a fun and cozy mystery, but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me. If you’re interested in journalism, Phoenix, and politics, this book may be for you.

I listened to the audiobook read by Marcella Black. She was a fantastic narrator and had such a soothing voice. Even though I wasn’t enjoying the book as much as I had hoped, I kept listening because of Black’s excellent storytelling.

I really enjoyed it! I did feel like it wasn’t focused as much on the mystery aspect and was instead focused on reporting/the main characters job. I did enjoy it overall but found myself wanting less explanation on her job and more information on the case! I loved the ending and found myself siding with the murderer which is not typical but his reasoning about the politician killing dogs made sense to me as an animal lover. Overall I would recommend this and gave it 3.75 stars out of 5

Jolene is a young TV reporter for a local news station. She feels her big break is coming when a radio talk show host is suspected to have been killed due to his controversial views, and Jolene is determined to solve the mystery.

This audiobook was an easy and fast paced listen. I thought the narrator did a great job and I found the book to move along quickly in this format. However, I didn’t love the story overall, I found it to be ‘good/okay’ and I probably won’t remember all that many details. I liked reading about tv reporting and how difficult that can be, but I didn’t love the rest of the plot. I didn’t like Jolene playing amateur detective, and I didn’t feel she was developed much as a whole character.

This was a unique take on a murder mystery with the focus on looking inside the cut-throat world of journalism. It was stacked with details about the changes in the world of reporting from needing to get all the facts & good ratings to needing to break the story first & competing for social media engagement.

Jolene is a local TV reporter in Phoenix, Arizona. When word gets out about a death at a radio station, all the journalists in town swarm the scene to try to break the story first on who it is. Turns out, there's a bigger story to break here because, it looks like the radio station host may have been murdered. Now Jolene is racing against the clock to solve the murder & she is willing to do whatever it takes... even if that means risking her own life.