the talk of the town
Jolene Garcia wants out of Phoenix. Being a news reporter there is a good job, but she has her eye on larger markets. Or she did, until an embarrassing mistake led to a cancelled interview. Now she’s upset with herself, looking for a big story that she can ride out of town, and really hungry for an exclusive. That’s how she showed up outside of the building that housed radio station KFRK, where Larry Lemmon recorded his talk show.
Larry Lemmon liked to stir the pot with his controversial opinions, and he encouraged his followers, called Freaks for the station call letters, to voice their opinions as well. He was very much in favor of a wall to stop immigration and he wasn’t about to take the side of anyone who believed in climate science, global warming, vegetarianism, or being woke. He drove a Hummer, refused to recycle, and loved to stir up the liberals. So when a call came in for an unresponsive male at the address of the radio station, Jolene was one of the first reporters on the scene.
Jolene had just recorded an interview with Lemmon days before, so when it turns out that Lemmon was indeed the man found unresponsive, Jolene already had an exclusive on everyone else. But with other hungry local reporters sniffing around, will that be enough to get her noticed? Jolene has a source inside the police department, but she can’t get much information out of him, and nothing she can use on the air. So she starts making calls herself, trying to find an exclusive interview with those who knew Larry best, some who had loved him and others who did not. But Larry Lemmon was national news, as is his death, and soon national news crews are crowding Jolene out in her own town.
As the talk turns from accidental death to murder, Jolene is busy trying to arrange interviews with anyone she can get to talk to her. In speaking with those who knew Larry best, she could be putting herself in danger of talking to a killer. And when she stats getting threatening notes, Jolene has to figure out how far she’s willing to go for an exclusive. Fighting against her boss who wants more social media content, trying to stay true to her journalistic ethics, struggling to get interviews when people would rather talk to CNN, Jolene is determined to get her story.
But instead of reporting the news, will Jolene find herself the subject of the news instead?
Off the Air is the first book in a new mystery series that examines the news business from an Emmy-award winning journalist. Author Christina Estes brings her insider knowledge of the business to this smart, funny, insightful murder mystery set in Arizona amid a political firestorm.
I really enjoyed Off the Air. I thought the characters brought intelligence and snark to the story, as well as a bevy of trashy grocery store snacks. I’m not sure this is the book for everyone, though, as the politics are central. Readers who are fans of right wing talk radio might be offended by the left-leaning sensibilities of the story, so I would keep that in mind if you’re buying the book as a gift or your own political leanings might be ruffled by the strong opinions on both sides of the Congressional aisle. I think it took a lot of courage for Estes to write about current political hot potatoes in the current climate, and I look forward to seeing what she decides to report on next.
Egalleys for Off the Air were provided by Minotaur Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.
