A Good Morning America Buzz Pick
“[A] spirited debut.” –Shelf Awareness
“A love letter to Phoenix disguised as an entertaining whodunnit.” –Axios Phoenix
“A realistic and entertaining book that will show readers the problems facing journalists in the social-media era.” –Booklist
"Fans of journalistic mysteries will appreciate Estes' debut, which draws favorable comparisons to Hank Phillippi Ryan's Jane Ryland series." –Library Journal
“Best is Jolene’s relentlessness and endurance of whatever it takes to get the story… fans of [J.A. Jance’s Ali Reynolds series and Hank Phillippi Ryan’s Jane Ryland series] are a natural fit for this.” –First Clue
“Fans of Hank Phillippi Ryan’s Jane Ryland series and Christina Kovac’s The Cutaway will want to grab a copy of Off the Air. . . An impeccably structured narrative.” –BOLO Books
"In Off the Air, prize-winning Estes's debut novel deftly takes us into the world of local news broadcasting with a tale that demonstrates how, behind the smiling faces of TV anchors, covering a big story is a dog-eat-dog world." –J. A. Jance
“A full-throttle fun mystery with all the dangerous undercurrents readers expect and love. . . once you start this fun and thrilling debut, you will not put it down until the end—guaranteed!" –Linda Castillo
"Standing ovation for this wonderful debut! The oh-so-talented Christina Estes reveals her storytelling skills in this timely and propulsive pageturner. Off The Air is a terrific solid mystery with authentic insights into the intriguing world of local TV journalism—but always coupled with compassion and heart. Estes's ear for dialogue and understanding of human nature makes this a must read—and the perfect beginning for a series. A winner in every way!" –Hank Phillippi Ryan
"A reporter herself, Estes rips open a vein to bring her hard-charging heroine to life, giving this fast-moving crime novel the satisfying snap of realism." –Lee Goldberg
“Jolene Garcia is persistence personified–this is a woman who will get that next big scoop, come hell or high water. If you love investigative reporter stories and are looking for one that’s clearly written by a pro, Off the Air is your new favorite read!” –Mia P. Manansala
“In her exhilarating debut Off the Air, Christina Estes uses her years of experience as a broadcast journalist to make us feel like we’re side by side with Phoenix reporter Jolene Garcia as she doggedly investigates the death of a controversial talk show host. Chock full of insider info about TV news, the story is as timely as it is fun. I couldn’t stop reading!” –Kellye Garrett
2024-01-13
Estes’ debut follows a Phoenix TV news reporter as she struggles to identify a colleague’s killer—and possibly land an interview with same.
At least Jolene Garcia doesn’t have to worry about any more rivalry from Larry Lemmon, the most popular radio host in town: He’s probably dead, maybe poisoned, perhaps courtesy of cyanide-laced cookies. No detail, however small, is definite until it’s confirmed and attributed, and although Jolene’s cop friend, Commander Jim Miranda, is willing to dole out information drop by drop, he won’t talk on the record. So Jolene watches in helpless fury as she’s scooped by inexplicably Emmy-winning SoCal hairpiece Jessica “JJ” Jackson, outmaneuvered by newbie network reporter Jeffrey Cooper, and stonewalled by differently leaning community activists Phillip Ellys and Ignacio Cortez, whose frequent differences with Larry make his producer, Ralph Flemski, dangle them as likely suspects. Both the likably whiny narrator and her author are less interested in solving the case than in making a case for, or against, the challenges of journalism in the multimedia age. It makes perfect sense that when Jolene is rescued from a face-to-face with a murderer who shows up at their climactic meeting better prepared than she is, her paramount concern is whether she’ll get an exclusive on the story. An appended Content Advisory warns that the tale “contains references to abandonment, ageism, animal cruelty, child neglect, classism, homelessness, racism, sexism, sexual coercion, and substance abuse.” It’s all there, but don’t get your hopes up: This is PG homicide.
The leading takeaway is a question: Why don’t more of those scrums among dueling reporters and sources end in murder?
