Ms. Estes seems to have hit on an interesting story following an investigative reporter. The setting is great as I live in Arizona and hearing about streets and other places in the greater Phoenix area was great. I was able to picture them as opposed to any big city.

The story is pretty intricate with a number of moving pieces as I suspect any investigator often experiences. Sometimes the desire to be first with a story seems to outweigh the better judgement. Developing sources who are willing to talk to you and to trust you seems to be real also. Not being a reporter but having served as a school administrator, there were lots of similarities. Just like Jolene found out that impressions could be wrong as she went down the wrong "rabbit hole," I have had similar experiences and frustrations as I tried to get to the crux of an issue.

I enjoyed the writing and the general storyline. At times there was somewhat confusion on my part as too may intersecting lines were happening; but i suspect this is real life for a reporter. Also having a chief competitor in the news business who works for a competing station is different from being a school administrator --we were somewhat competitive btu in different ways.

I encourage a reader who is looking for an interesting story to read this book. I think it would be enjoyable.

Emmy-winning TV reporter Jolene Garcia is committed to reporting on stories of interest to Phoenix’s fast-paced community. Her managers have different ideas. Their priorities are stories that will generate immediate attention.
Jolene becomes involved in a case surrounding the death of one of the town’s small business owners in a car crash. She is convinced it wasn’t an accident but a setup to keep him from questioning the deceptive practices of town officials in their assignment deals to local small business owners.
Jolene now faces a story more significant than she had ever encountered. Despite the station’s manager's insistence that she stop her investigation, she knows a big story when she sees it, and despite the danger to her own life, she intends to move full speed ahead.

If you're a fan of the Finlay Donovan series, you'll like this book as it is in a similar vein. The characters were all great and the mystery elements were very intriguing.

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. Jolene is an award winning TV reporter who wants to do deep dives into stories, but whose managers want stories that garner clicks. A small business owner then dies in a car accident, and Jolene feels it was not actually an accident as the owner had recently been active questioning particular deals at city hall that were lining the pockets of some. Confirming her suspicions, the more Jolene looked into this, the more her theory rang true. Jolene wants to expose the corruption, but her managers want her to drop it.

I liked the plotline of this book, and it seemed to be relatable as a lot of communities could be susceptible to their leaders lining their pockets through deals. This was the second book in a series, although it read easy enough that one need not have to have read the first book to follow along. I think having a reporter determined to get to the bottom of a story is a great protagonist to carry a series along, and I felt this was a great follow up to the initial book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was asked to review “The Story That Wouldn’t Die” the second in the Jolene Garcia series by Christine Estes.

Estes bring back Jolene Garcia, a local TV reporter, who is in search of a story very different than the click bait her boss expects from her. Yet when a local business owner suddenly dies in an accident, Jolene is convinced that there is more than meets the eye. But investigating this mystery could put Jolene’s own life at risk.

Jolene is a memorable and engaging character. The author has extensive experience as a reporter and I imagine it’s her own experiences that help fuel this novel. What I appreciate is the story’s humor, which helps this story stand out in a very crowded field. If this is the first novel by Estes that you read, you’re certainly going to want to know more about Jolene in “Off the Air.”

Four out of five stars.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for a chance to read and review this book.

loved this mystery of a business owner that life ended and there are links to the mayor's office and that things aren't going so well for jolene and trying to solve this case. I can't want to for the next book and mystery in phoenix. loved her contacts and norma.

Thanks to the publisher for letting me read this book

This was a fun read that reminded me of the Finlay Donovan series, which I love. I was not aware this was the second book in the series, but now I will be going back to read that one as well. The book was told with a personal, heart-warming side of investigative journalism.

Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

A TV reporter investigator finds herself in peril when someone does noy want her digging too deep in the case. Who s hiding what and why do they not want the truth to be exposed? It is a compelling situation that will have you engrossed.

I actually really enjoyed the twist and turns on this one and couldn’t believe the ending! We follow along with a reporter who once catches a case, cannot let it go! She gets wrapped up in the story and refuses to back down until it’s solved!

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

I really enjoyed reading this book. Jolene is a TV reporter and has already won an Emmy. Her boss, "Sexy" is named not because he is - but because he wants stories that are sexy. He's a bit stupid, if you will - and the only reason that I can buy into him is that I've had stupid bosses before. (Probably everyone has). So, instead of chasing down the story on cupcakes, Jolene is chasing down a murder. It's true, it's not sexy, but she's pretty determined to get to the bottom of it. Another murder and still another really piques her interest and it looks like the mayor is in on it. Jolene will NOT give up her search - trying to get to the bottom of these murders - even though her boss has told her to get counseling.
It's not a page turner - because there is so much humor that you don't want to miss. Still, I read it in two days so it's interesting - and really good fun.

I adore Mac & Jackson as they slink around the greater Los Angeles area.
Jackson cannot help still being hot over Mac while she is still a bit on the
tightly wrapped side, but they make a great team when they are after the
bad guys who are after their bad guys. It’s a vicious circle of entertainment!
If they are not careful, they will be killed! With the hot LA PD Lt on their
case, and wanting to be ON MAC, they may end up alive in this delightful
crime romp! My thanks to Atria Publishing for the download of this
book for review purposes.

Christina Estes has a winner with The Story that Wouldn’t Die. This was a good book out this summer.

This is a unique and interesting mystery. It is written with good nuance (recognizing that reporters still need to recognize people’s humanity as they pursue a story) and has a lot of knowledge from the author’s background. This is part of a series, but was totally fine as a standalone. The plot is engaging, the characters are likeable (especially Jolene and Nate), and the mystery is well-done.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s, and Minotaur for the free eARC. I post this review with my honest opinions. This review is cross-posted on Goodreads, and will be posted on Instagram and Amazon within a week of the book’s publication.

I really enjoyed this book! The plot was fresh and interesting and I really enjoyed the characters, as well as their different personalities!

The Story That Wouldn’t Die is a captivating blend of mystery and suspense. The intriguing plot and compelling characters will keep you hooked from start to finish. A must-read for fans of thrillers with a twist!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the eARC; all opinions are my own.

I was a big fan of Christina's first book in this series and really appreciated all of the details, the layers, and the character development. The second book in the series is, in my opinion, even better. There's a lot more character development with Jolene as we get more glimmers of her past (foster kid, raised by her grandmother) and the impact that has left on her - the vulnerability, the trauma - and how she copes with it (hint: not great).
Jolene throws all of herself into her work, often at the expense of her well-being, and creating friendships. She holds herself back from forming too tight of bonds with people - whether co-workers or her neighbour, Norma, and its starting to bite her in the butt, a bit. She doesn't trust easily, is skeptical, and at times, this works against her in trying to do her job.

I really enjoyed the mystery in this book, especially with the personal connection as Jolene meets one of the victims not too long before they are killed and it clearly rattles her and she's determined to get justice.
Something Christina does so well, I think because she is a reporter, is incorporates the clues into all of the details she includes in the book. This makes me pay much closer attention because I don't know what could be a clue and what is simply an observation. It all matters.
I admit I was thrown off by who the culprit was - it really did surprise me but it made so much sense!!!

The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger as to what Jolene will do next and I'm excited!!

this was okay and funny at times. Read like finlay donovan and was almost very similar. Some people might like it

•When a local small business owner dies suddenly in a crash, the town is shocked. Reporter Jolene Garcia doesn’t believe it’s as cut and dry as a simple accident. The victim, Carlos, was poking around, asking questions about why the same people keep getting the contracts with city hall. While Jolene’s boss wants her to focus on other, more exciting stories, she’s determined to figure out the truth behind Carlos’ tragic death.

•I struggled with remaining interested and focused while reading this book. I felt like there were very many characters and it was difficult to keep them all straight at times.

•Thank you for NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC. It will become available on August 19, 2025.