Author Interview & Review: Dead Air by Rachel Caine, Gwenda Bond, and Carrie Ryan
As if it wasn’t already a treat that I interviewed Gwenda Bond at YallWest (where she spilled the beans on Dead Air), I was privileged to spend some time with Rachel Caine at SDCC, too! I absolutely love Dead Air, the brand new serial by Serial Box! Check out our interview below and my review of the first season of Dead Air!
Dead Air is a 13 episode “serial”, with weekly episodes released on audio and digital. Episodes are delivered to your mobile device on Wednesdays or you can try binge listening/reading some past serials (we recommend ReMade and Geek Actually)!
Dead Air by Gwenda Bond, Rachel Caine, and Carrie Ryan
Publication: August 2018 by Serial Box
Episode #1 is free; purchase the whole season.
Mackenzie Walker wasn’t planning on using her college radio show to solve a decades-old murder, but when she receives an anonymous tip that the wrong man may have taken the fall, she can’t resist digging deeper. The victim, a glamorous heiress and founder of a Kentucky horse-racing dynasty, left behind plenty of enemies. And the cops don’t seem particularly interested in discussing any of it. But when the threats begin, Mackenzie knows she’s onto something. Thankfully, she’s getting help from a very unexpected source: the victim’s son, Ryan. The closer she gets to him, however, the more important it is for Mackenzie to uncover the truth before they both get buried alongside old secrets. Read or listen to weekly ebook and audio episodes of the serial novel Dead Air and then check out Mackenzie’s podcast for a uniquely immersive experience. Does the truth lie in the serial, the podcast … or somewhere in-between?
Interview with Rachel Caine
Review
5/5 stars
I will read anything Gwenda Bond writes and it comes as no surprise that I am absolutely OBSESSED with her latest Serial alongside Carrie Ryan and Rachel Caine.
Dead Air is so much more than a “Serial” port. Serial Box fully takes advantage of their unique method to create not just a story but an experience for readers. Serials are already coupled with text + audio and Dead Air comes with the added bonus of the podcast featured in the story! Such a cool element. It’s like you’re immersed.
In Dead Air, we meet Macy, and her alter-ego Mackenzie. See, Macy is a quiet, non-imposing type while Mackenzie puts herself out there – literally on the air – to bring justice to Peg’s murder.
The internet has made amateur sleuthing a possibility for just about anyone. I mean, we just saw a decades old case get solved because someone’s distant relative uploaded their DNA online to find their ancestors. We also live in the age of Netflix true crime dramas, where the court of public opinion gets to try not only the defendant but the experts involved in the case. Dead Air is a perfect complement to the current landscape.
Gwenda, Rachel, and Carrie did such a fantastic job laying out the details of the crime that I actually googled to make sure it wasn’t a real case.
And, of course, this wouldn’t be a Gwenda Bond story if there wasn’t a romance that becomes complicated. I don’t want to say too much but I am totally shipping the couple in this story.
I can’t wait to listen to the matching podcasts (but wait – there’s more!) and return to the world of Dead Air…until season 2.
Check back weekly for recaps!
