Off the Air by Christina Estes
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Dates Read: 1/8/24 - 1/9/24
This wasn't as fun as I thought it would be after reading the synopsis. Let me start with the good things before I explain why this novel wasn't for me. The mystery was interesting, and I did care enough to find out who killed Larry. I also liked how much research Estes put into some of the information in the book, as she talks about it in her acknowledgments.
That being said, there is a good chunk of very detailed information about things that seem irrelevant to the story. Larry is intended to be an opinionated, right-wing talk show host, but this novel is way more political than it is a murder mystery. I don't mind reading about politics, but I think it was overdone. You can't tell if Jolene, or anyone besides the persons of interest for that matter, actually agrees or disagrees with Larry. There are also many paragraphs, sometimes even pages, of information that have absolutely nothing to do with the plot. Most of these stem from Jolene describing a character to us, but then the character is entirely irrelevant for the rest of the story. For me, this just made the story feel drawn out.
Jolene is hard to like. She only cares about integrity and morals when it benefits her. She's a terrible friend, neighbor, and coworker. She's rude to her elderly neighbor, even when Norma is trying to help her. Jolene badgers law enforcement during an investigation, chases people at a funeral, and throws someone's child support history in their face to get information. Yet, she wonders why she never gets the scoop and excuses her behavior with "they don't understand the pressure I'm under." Sadly, there's no character development, and her actions are forgiven without a real apology, and everyone calls her the star reporter.
I also had some issues with the story, and I can't decide if they were meant to be ambiguous. Larry's death from cyanide is confirmed, but they never check the cookies or tin for fingerprints or DNA. The timeline is confusing too. It's later revealed the cyanide wasn't in the cookies, but in his coffee. However, Larry drank coffee in the morning, but he died at noon. Cyanide works within minutes, it doesn't add up. Jolene gets mysterious packages, one with a note and audio recording, and another with photos of an environmentalist littering. The reason behind sending these is never explained. It feels random. Jolene's exclusive interview with Larry is built up, but it really isn't ever relevant in the story. Lastly, Oliver doesn't contribute much to the story, and I can't figure out why he was added.
Overall, I don't think this is a bad book, it just isn't my cup of tea. This is a debut novel, so I would definitely be open to reading something else from this author in the future. Estes can write, and the premise was interesting, I just think it needed some work.
As always, thank you to St. Martin's Press for inviting me to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Off the Air releases on March 26, 2024.
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