Book Review: Off the Air by Christina Estes

 

When Jolene Garcia hears there's been a death at a local radio station, she and her cameraman rush to the location. As she attempts to ascertain who has died, the competition arrives. Jolene does her best to try and get an exclusive, but it just isn't happening. Soon the police reveal that the dead man is indeed controversial talk show host Larry Lemmon. It also comes out that he died under somewhat suspicious circumstances. And while Jolene was the last person to interview him, she still wants and needs an exclusive, preferrably with information on who the killer might be. She works her way through a suspect list she got from one of her sources. Will she be able to find out who the killer is before her recklessness brings her too much danger?

This is Christina Estes debut novel that won the Tony Hillerman Prize. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. 

Jolene is the most well developed character in the book. There were definitely times where I didn't like her or her choices. Overall, she is okay and very ambitious. I wanted to know what would happen with her.

There is a lot of information given as to how a television news program is put together. I skipped over bits of it, but it's interesting in general. It shows how much pressure Jolene was under to produce newsworthy material that would be unique to their station.

The plot moves forward at a decent rate. The end had a nice twist to it. One of the subplots wasn't resolved, unless I missed something. I can see it continuing in another novel about Jolene.

If you enjoy mysteries with an amateur sleuth that also give background into a profession, this could be the book for you. It's generally well written and interesting.

Off the Air  by Christina Estes was released March 26th, 2024 from Minotaur Books.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my review.

Waiting on Wednesday #114: The Last Days of Magic by Mark Tompkins

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

The Last Days of Magic by Mark Tomkins is expected to be out March 1, 2016 from Viking. 

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:
An epic novel of magic and mysticism, Celts and faeries, mad kings and Druids, stalwart warriors and the goddess struggling to reign over magic’s last outpost on the Earth
 
Aisling is a goddess in a human form, born to rule medieval Ireland and reunite the earthly realm with the Middle Kingdom—home to powerful faeries. With her counselor, Liam, and her lover, Conor, she stands between warring clans of Celts, Vikings, and darkly magical otherworldly beings. Meanwhile, even greater forces muster beyond Ireland’s enchanted shores. Jordan, a Vatican commander and clandestine student of forbidden magic, is already torn between duty and desire when he meets Najia, his captive, and a slave. Beneath the chains and spells that bind her, she is an enchantress who draws him closer to what he loves. But the Vatican and England have given Jordan a crucial role in a war they are determined to win—the battle to drive magic from Ireland, and all lands, forever. As kings prepare and exorcists gather in Rome, Aisling, Jordan, and Najia must come to terms with powers given and withheld—and a world that can foster magic hangs in the balance. Loyalties are tested and betrayals sown, yet the coming battle is not to be the last. The repercussions for magical beings ripple centuries later, in today’s world.

Why am I waiting on this book? Well, to be punny, it sounds enchanting. From the author's website, it looks like a lot of research went into the making of the book. And it has some good blurbs from famous authors like Karen Joy Fowler and Geraldine Brooks. The introduction of the Vatican into this sort of story seems original to me and I wonder how it will  play out.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our ever-growing TBR list. Thanks for coming by!