Having a reporter as the detective reminded me of Mary Higgins Clark. That being said, I didn’t find this main character very likable. She just kept pushing her job onto others! The book was also a little on the slow side.
Thank you to Minotaur Books for this digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Jolene Garcia, reporter is hot on the trail of a new story sure to bring her another Emmy or so she hopes. Frustrated by her new managers who want her reporting on stories that are more quantity than quality, she is in search of a good news source. After speaking with a lawyer about Phoenix’s contract bidding process being unfairly awarded to one contractor. Then the person raising questions, Carlos Rios, a local businessman dies in a car crash, Jolene suspects there is more to his death. As she begins to dig, she is finding out more but who is behind the corruption and who is killing off people? Will Jolene uncover the truth before the person can kill not just the story but the reporter as well?

This is the second book I’ve read by the author, here are the things I like, her writing style, the unfolding of the corruption story and whose done it, the descriptions of how a news tv channel works, her characters. Here is what I don’t like – the main character Jolene, I understand in a very competitive rating-based world, it’s all about what you know, can verify and being first to report it. However, the way the character accosts people, people who are grieving, accusing people without any proof is outrageous behavior and even one of the characters gets infuriated by her behavior. I couldn’t like the character, she comes across as whiny, makes her intern do the work she is to be doing, can be arrogant, and only in the last few chapters did I see her humanity really come out. The story is well composed, the plot well devised, overall, an good read.

This is 4.5 for me😊

I really enjoyed this one. Jolene’s sharp, flawed, and fierce—just how I like my amateur sleuths. The newsroom drama felt real, the mystery kept me guessing, and the emotional undercurrent gave it heart. Estes knows her stuff, and it shows. “The truth is messy, but that doesn’t mean you stop digging.” I’ll be first in line for book three.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the e-copy. In this book, we have a reporter, Jolene, whose life work is reporting on stories that matter. When a case of potentially shady business is going on between the city and business owners, Jolene begins a cursory investigation that quickly ends up with a local business owner dying in a suspicious accident. Once she realizes she may have uncovered a complex web of corruption and murder, she’s determined to get to the bottom of it despite mysterious warnings to back off. I’m rating this book a 3 out of 5 stars. I didn’t love it but I also didn’t dislike it. I think following the perspective of a news reporter who cares about her community sounds super interesting. I always enjoy a mystery that goes deeper and deeper and it was entertaining to watch Jolene juggle reporting on the mundane and her annoying boss with tracking down leads. I would say this book is on the cozier side rather than the intense dark side. It’s a book where you know the heroine will save the day. Grappling the issue of gentrification and replacing homes with luxury apartments and condos was also another interesting focus considering its a real and serious issue. The book does still have many errors and typos. I did find myself a bit lost at times because political corruption is not usually my favorite in a mystery novel and so it was hard following along what was happening and how the dots were being connected. It also felt as if the author was introducing some things that were unnecessary and thrown in there on a whim. The part about her unknown mother was kind of half heartedly thrown in there and it doesn’t really go anywhere and is mostly mentioned near the very end. It felt like we were just tossing something random in, which then made the end of the book super unexpected and kind of anticlimactic. The book was good but the characters didn’t have much depth to where you could really connect with any of them, including Jolene.

I enjoyed this book and was able to connect with it without having read the first book. I thought Jolene was great and was fun to get to know. I believe the plot was well done and the characters written well. I recommend reading this book.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I didn’t enjoy this book. The story was all over the place with names, nicknames and jumping around making it hard to keep up with who was where and what was happening. The plot and characters just didn’t interest me and I found myself not caring. For me it was not a page turner.

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!

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!