Other reviews of Didi Oviatt’s work:
Search for Maylee
Justice for Belle
SKETCH
BY: DIDI OVIATT
When local girl Misty is found dead in an underground bunker, the town is thrown into a whirlwind of panic and speculation. Times are tough, but the spaced-out farmer community pull together as one, trying to uncover who’s guilty.
Thrown smack in the middle of the chaos is a group of teens: local troublemakers, but with good hearts. Although they’re innocent, the local law enforcers believe otherwise, and the true killer is lurking far too close for comfort.
Will the four be able to uncover the truth before one of them pays the price for Misty’s death? – Goodreads
*Book received through R&R Book Tours in exchange for honest review*
Its always been a pleasant time reading Didi Oviatt’s stories and this novella Sketch is no exception. It is a thrilling glimpse into a little country town set in the Old Depression era where the people there are still close-minded and the sheriff and his police department are run with a lot of prejudices and the groups of young adults there have been friends for a long time and specifically a group of friends who get caught in the latest disappearance of an acquaintance called Misty which reveals a deeper level of relationship and connections between the people around her.
The characters here are actually outlined pretty well. There is a good group of people here that are involved in the whole case of finding this crazy killer. The killer reveal was done fairly early however gave it the space to still develop. The brothers here also have their own trajectory of development as they go out to face up to these issues and get caught up in it when they are wrongly accused and beat up by the police department to hopefully have them confess. While the brothers friend who is a rich girl helps them out and there is a little romance that buds in the midst of the crazy stuff. Its something I don’t quite mind having or not but it does end up tying into the story itself well enough.
At the same time, the town has their own secrets which the group of friends eventually follows for multiple reasons like trying to find justice for someone they care about or proving themselves innocent and such. It unveils some past secrets that link back to the present. This is a novella length of the characters and story are paced in a certain way where there is just enough depth. However, where Didi Oviatt excels is in her descriptions. She’s not afraid to dive deep into those truly gruesome and gritty moments and bring the words to life. Sketch does a great job in describing the different scenes and scenarios and getting the whole reading experience very involved because of it.
Overall, Sketch is a gripping crime investigation set in a small town that has a few twists and also, keeps it very intriguing to read. Its a page turner and well-paced in its compact story. Its definitely worth a read.
Goodreads score: 5/5 (rounded up from a 4.5)
Tranquil Dreams 