Review by Booklist Review
Phoenix television reporter Jolene Garcia (last seen in Off the Air, 2024) won an Emmy for her story about the death of local talk show host Larry Lemmon. She wants to continue covering stories with substance, but her bosses prefer clickbait fluff. That's why she is at city call covering the mayor, who is stuck in an elevator. When Whitney Wright, a sleazy lawyer, offers her information about rigged bidding for city building projects, Jolene is hesitant. Then, a lobbyist tied to real estate developments is killed, allegedly by a burglar, and a beloved local business owner dies in an accident. Are these cases connected? Jolene starts digging. She soon gets nasty messages, demanding she drop the investigation, but her drive to uncover the truth and her rivalry with glamor-girl reporter JJ motivate her to continue, no matter the danger. The investigation takes her to wealthy neighborhoods with elaborate Christmas displays and to rundown trailer parks, and back to city hall. Readers will enjoy the fast-moving plot twists and the well-deserved swipes at television news coverage in the age of social media.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Intrepid TV reporter Jolene Garcia investigates a deadly case of municipal corruption in Estes's vibrant sequel to Off the Air. Jolene has long found her fluffy beat in Phoenix, Ariz., stifling. She yearns to cover serious news instead of investigating whether the cupcakes at local bakeries are really, as they claim to be, gluten-free. When community activist Carlos Rios offers to meet with Jolene about a controversial zoning proposal, she sees it as an opportunity to prove her chops. Shortly after they meet and Carlos hints at possible corruption in city hall, he dies in a suspicious car accident, leading Jolene to suspect he was murdered. Then a beloved community figure, whom Carlos implicated in the city hall plot, turns up dead, and Jolene again tries her hand as a gumshoe. As in the previous book, Estes's experience as a broadcast journalist lends authenticity to the proceedings, but this time, she doesn't get too bogged down in the details, and successfully crafts a brain-teasing, fair-play puzzle full of plausible suspects and interconnected treachery. After a shaky first outing, this suggests that Jolene might have what it takes to sustain a series. (Aug.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A reporter with a nose for news about city corruption finds herself buried under cupcakes and clickbait until a suspicious death raises the stakes. Fresh off her first Emmy win, TV reporter Jolene Garcia returns for her second outing--followingOff the Air (2024)--determined to chase stories that matter to her local community in Phoenix, Arizona. But her boss, David Matthew--nicknamed "Sexy" for his obsession with click-driven fluff--would rather see her covering viral cupcakes and quirky-mishap human interest stories (Mayor Ace is trapped in an elevator!). While she's reporting on that elevator, Jolene's approached by attorney Whitney Wright, who tries to flatter her about her reporting of radio host Larry Lemmon's murder in order to get her interested in Whitney's latest client. Carlos Rios came to Whitney certain that there was some impropriety in the city's bidding system for big jobs. Soon after this meeting, however, Carlos was killed in a car crash. Was it just bad timing, or was he silenced before he could blow the whistle? Suspecting foul play, Jolene sees an opportunity to reclaim the serious stories that are closest to her journalistic heart. As she digs into the murky intersection of city hall politics and favoritism, the pace lags, with narrative detours into newsroom dynamics leaving the investigative arc simmering. Jolene's oft-mentioned Emmy is mainly a symbol of her past success, and readers may struggle to root for a reporter who seems more concerned with recognition than justice. A story that wants to shine a spotlight but keeps its batteries low. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
