The Lion's Share of the Air Time: A Novel

by Gail Hulnick

When suicide becomes murder …

An elderly lady walking her dog in Vancouver’s West End looks up at the precise moment that Keith Papineau, a prominent TV broadcaster, falls from a high-rise apartment balcony. Everyone assumes it was a suicide, but Chelan Montgomery, a young journalist who spent the evening with Keith before his death, has to suspect that he was pushed.

When Keith's teenage son asks her to uncover the truth, Chelan's curiosity and journalistic skills propel her onto a trail that leads through mansions, office towers, and ski chalets. As she investigates, she uncovers a web of deceit and becomes convinced that Keith was murdered.

The search leads Chelan to a final confrontation near a black diamond run used during the Vancouver Whistler Olympics. Along the way, she encounters many people who may have had a motive for killing Keith, including his work colleagues, business associates, and even his family members.

As she gets closer to the truth, Chelan becomes a target, and must use all of her smarts and determination to stay alive and bring the killer to justice—without knocking Keith’s son so far off balance that he never recovers.

This psychological thriller is the first in the Media Mysteries series and is reminiscent of the work of Ross Macdonald, author of the Lew Archer series. It's a fast-paced, compelling read that will keep you guessing until the very end. Whether you're a fan of mystery novels or just looking for a captivating read, you won't be able to put this book down.

Can Chelan identify Keith’s killer? Was there a killer at all, or was Keith just a sad man who decided to end his life? Click the Buy Now button at the top and dive into Chelan’s search for the answers.

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 25, 2015

About the author

Gail Hulnick's first novel, The Lion's Share of the Air
Time, was a quarter finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award in 2014. in 2020, she was named the Bronze award-winner in the Royal Palm Literary Awards for the follow-up novel in her media mystery series, A Bird in the Sand. She also won Silver in the Mainstream or Literary category that same year for her novel Resorting to Fraud. In 2022, book 3 in the Media Mysteries series, titled Sleeping Dogs Lie, won a Bronze RPLA.

Her work background includes years as a CBC Radio interviewer and program host, a TV news reporter, a freelance magazine journalist, a business consultant and an indie publisher.

Gail was born in Canada, has lived in four of the ten provinces, and has driven cross-country three times. She currently lives in the U.S. and has crossed that country, west to east and south to north, by road numerous times as well. She likes travel (there's a surprise), movies, books, music and dogs.

Reviews

[Patrick Moore]

The Lion’s Share of the Air Time is a crisp, clever reminder that real communication isn’t about speaking louder—it’s about listening better. Gail Hulnick writes with clarity, wit, and the earned confidence of someone who has spent a lifetime observing how conversations actually work (and why they so often don’t).

This is a book you can dip into like a good aperitif—bracing, refreshing, and immediately useful. Gail’s insights are practical without ever being preachy, generous without being soft. You’ll recognize colleagues, friends, maybe even yourself in these pages—and you’ll come away a better conversationalist for it.

As a personal friend of the author, I may be biased—but like a well-balanced martini, this one stands on its own merits. Smart, humane, and quietly transformative. Highly recommended. 🥂

[Dave and Joan]

4/5

A lovely read for a “Who Done It”. I quite enjoyed the multiple secondary plots.
They brought a deeper connection between characters.
Being a Canadian and one who has visited many of the areas and streets mentioned in the book I felt a kind of kinship with the story.
The Main character, Chelan, is a great digger, for the truth and crossing boundaries that she never believed she could.
Her want for the job and the drive to find the answers keeps the reader enthralled.
Guessing a who done it is not in my wheel-house and I guessed wrong.
Please read and see if the story and the history behind the story guide you to the killer first.

[Shay Prendergast]

I liked the MC and the basic storyline. The book could use a few more rewrites, as the writing seems very green. The author bogs down the flow of action with overly descriptive passages that seem unnecessary. I think it has potential but it's just not there yet.

[Tammie Smith]

I enjoyed reading this mystery book. I got a brief insight about how the television new programs work. It was interesting. There was a strong lead character Chelan who looks into solving a murder that happens to a co-worker of hers. I would recommend this book to my friends.

I wont this on Goodreads.

[Bonnye Reed]

Complimentary, author