Dead Air by Micheal Bradley | Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Three can keep a secret, but only if two are dead.

No one knows that better than Kaitlyn Ashe, who has been running from a childhood secret her whole life. Until now. Crowned the top-rated radio DJ in Philadelphia, she is finally ready to settle down with her fiancé and new friends who know nothing about her past. When a sudden flood of anonymous letters threatens her seemingly charmed life, she realizes that someone out there knows. But who? As the threatening letters escalate, Kaitlyn’s life spirals toward a reunion in the one place she’d hoped to never visit again: The Shallows. Isn’t her secret buried with the dead?

From the Philadelphia skyline to the rural suburbs of New Jersey, Dead Air weaves a suspenseful tale of past misdeeds and present malice as Kaitlyn plays a deadly game of cat and mouse with a mysterious killer who will stop at nothing to get revenge.

Dead Air so much promise and yet fell flat at every turn of the page.  I was actually very excited to read this one.  A secret, revenge promised and action aplenty.  However, the reality was very much different.  The writing was ok, but I found it places it tripped itself up.  The story struggled to keep my attention but also seemed to have the power to get me extremely angry.  There was a plot development at around 40% that nearly made me give up, it’s not what I thought should happen to the character or where the natural progression of the narrative should have been. 

Dead Air follows our protagonist, Kaitlyn who is a late-night DJ host, presenting a love song dedication show.  She’s finally at a point in her life where she feels that she can put down some roots, after spending her professional career going from city to city and job to job.  She’s chosen her home on the outskirts of Philadelphia.  She’s got a boyfriend that she wants to settle with and her career is going from strength to strength.  The only thing holding her back is a secret that stays at the back of her mind, but something will allow that box to be unlocked…

Dead Air had a premise that unfortunately has been done to death and it lacked any depth of originality.  If there was something that made it stand out it would have done far better, in my opinion anyway.  The actions of some of the characters were so unbelievable that turning every page after that was entirely a struggle.  This doesn’t happen often to me, but I did consider DNF’ing this book, but I wanted to give it a chance. 

I also wanted to point out that the overall narration didn’t work out for me, at all.  The author seemed to struggle to write female characters with any iota of class or dignity.  It felt like it was edging up on the creep metre.  I know where the author was trying to take the story, but the lack of reliable characterisation and actions instantly turned me off.  The biggest pitfall of them all was the unbelievably obvious clues left to who the culprit was.  It just passed off the protagonist, Kaitlyn as unbelievably stupid.  Not a great look for this story. 

I’d like to thank Netgalley and Camcat Books for the opportunity to review Dead Air and provide an honest review.

ABOUT MICHEAL BRADLEY

Born and raised in southern New Jersey, Michael Bradley spent years in radio broadcasting in New Jersey and West Virginia. He has been “up and down the dial,” working as an on air radio personality, promotions director and even program director – all jobs that provided a wealth of fond, enduring, and sometimes scandalous moments. Some of them make it into his suspense novels. Particularly into his first, the supernatural thriller Sirens in the Night (2015), which was called a “smart, terrifying, heartbreaking” and “compelling read,” and his third, Dead Air (2020), a “phenomenal read” that will “make you look over your shoulder the moment night falls.”

Michael’s day job as an IT professional has taken him on frequent travels throughout the US and Europe. On his travels he’s met many people from diverse backgrounds, and he is grateful to all of them, as many of their quirks and habits also make it into his novels, albeit in clandestine and anonymous ways.

When he isn’t on the road, working, or writing, Michael hits the waterways in his kayak, paddling creeks, streams, and rivers all over Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey. Or he reads to get inspired by writers such as P.D. James, Ian Rankin, Leslies Charteris, Simon Brett, Lisa Unger, and Ian Fleming. Michael is a member of Pennwriters and Mystery Writers of America, and he serves as the technical assistant to the director of ITW’s Pitch Fest and ConsultFest for the annual ThrillerFest conference. Michael lives in Delaware with his wife Diane and their two furry four-legged “kids,” Preaya and Willie.

MICHEAL BRADLEY