Eyewitness Sketch JustRead Tour {book review and giveaway}
Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Eyewitness Sketch by Danielle Grandinetti, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: Eyewitness Sketch
Series: Di Stasio Giornaliste Agency #1
Author: Danielle Grandinetti
Publisher: Hearth Spot Press
Release Date: March 10, 2026
Genre: 1930s Historical Romantic Mystery
Finding love at Death’s Door might destroy them both.
CHICAGO, Ill., 1931—Gabriella Salatino, an illustrative journalist for the Di Stasio Giornaliste Agency, never planned to return to her island home at the tip of Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula. Nor did she plan to witness a murder. But when her life is threatened, she has no choice but to hide out under the protective care of the man she left behind.
Deputy Andri Jóhannsson has been coming to Gabby’s rescue his entire life, but having her in his secluded home tests the limits of his patience. The woman has no sense of self-preservation, and he has a smuggling ring to ferret out. Except, her skill with sketchpad and pencils might be the very investigative tool he needs in order to catch the bootleggers.
With a murderer on her trail and criminals evading detection, Gabriella and Andri must set aside the past or risk its eruption. Because this time, the collateral damage might include more than losing their friendship. It might cost them the lives of those they love.
La Verità con Integrità. Truth with Integrity. The Legacy of a (Girl) Stunt Reporter.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Buy Direct from the Author | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub
More in this Series
Opening Excerpt
CHICAGO, Ill., Saturday, March 7, 1931—They say curiosity killed the cat, which is why Gabriella Salatino preferred to let the cat keep her tongue. Silence was golden, as the saying went. However, she'd never managed to rein in her curiosity, which meant tonight might kill her.
Gabriella set her drawing pad and pencil on a chair near the closed garden doors in the farthest corner of the ballroom. The setting sun cast a golden sparkle over the snow-covered estate in Lincoln Park. One could almost believe that nothing existed beyond the hedgerows. Not Lake Michigan, not the dirty factories, not the growing homeless population.
She yearned to escape the stifling room and lifted the strands of curly black hair that had escaped from where she’d pinned them at the back of her head. The unnatural electric light, the cloying variety of perfume, and the heat from the many bodies made the fabric of her straight, floor-length dress wrap itself around her ankles and dampness slip down her bare back. Perhaps she could crack open the door to the garden.
As an illustrative journalist for the Di Stasio Giornaliste Agency, she was on loan to Illinois Life Magazine to cover a series of spring charity events throughout the Chicago area. According to the managing editor, Katherine Arkley, Gabriella’s sketches showed the elaborate lifestyle of the wealthy, allowing readers a voyeuristic look at their lives. Gabriella, however, preferred to look at her work as invisibly rooting out those using the less fortunate for personal gain while shedding light on the growing need throughout the city, all behind the safety of her pencil. It’s why she joined Ali Di Stasio’s agency, though being a fellow Italian-American was how she discovered the woman in the first place.
Excerpt 2
“Give that to me.” Mr. Cook snagged the receiver out of her hands. “Who is this?”
Gabriella covered her burning face with her hands, her mortification complete. Andri already thought of her as a younger sister, a girl, not a woman. But he was the only one she trusted not to get the wrong idea.
“Who I am is none of your concern.” Andri’s bass voice crackled through the earpiece loud enough for Gabriella to hear the deadly edge to his words.
“Not until you confirm how long Gabriella’s been your girl,” Mr. Cook demanded.
Gabriella pressed into the wall, tears stinging her eyes. She’d wanted to be Andri’s girl for as long as she could remember. Once upon a time she had never felt shy or ill-at-ease around him. That changed seven years ago, and tonight would only make it worse. Why had she thought this was a good idea?
“I don’t believe you’re her boyfriend.” Mr. Cook grinned at her like a cat toying with a bird. Or was it the mouse who got the cheese?
Andri’s voice rumbled through the phone, but Gabriella heard no distinct words. Then Mr. Cook’s smile faded, and, without a word, he tossed Gabriella the earpiece like a hot coal. With words unfit for a gentleman scorching the air, he stormed off.
“What did you say to him?” Gabriella whispered into the phone. “He hightailed it out of here like he was about to lose half his millions.”
“That just confirms he’s no good.” Andri’s exasperated sigh was one she’d heard directed at her all her life. “Now, what’s going on, Gabby? Do I need to come down there? Do you need me to come get you?”
She wanted to say yes, but he only asked because he saw her as a helpless little sister. Anyway, he was three hundred miles away. “I’ll be fine. You can stand down. I don’t need a policeman.”
“Gabriella—”
“I’m fine, Andri.” She swallowed back the emotion clogging her voice. “Thank you.”
She bid him goodbye and hung up the receiver. If only she could hang up her childhood feelings toward him as easily.
Excerpt 3
“Andri?” Her hand touched his back.
He turned and took in his first good look at the girl he hadn’t seen in seven years. Not girl. Woman. Round cheeks and narrow chin filled a face that tucked perfectly into his shoulder. He knew because he’d held her all those years ago, when her mama died.
The lighthouse beam flashed over their heads, reflecting the fear in her eyes. And the consternation. He’d always liked that about her. She could hold two conflicting emotions simultaneously.
She stepped back, woolen skirt swishing around her knees. “Now what?”
Andri swallowed past the sand gathering in his throat. “Come inside. I’ll call my mother. She has a plan.”
Gabby eased into the lantern light with Freya attached to her leg. Andri tried not to stare, but Gabriella Salatino stood on his porch looking as gorgeous, and as vulnerable, as the last day he’d seen her, the satchels weighing—
Satchels! What an obtuse man he was!
“Can I take those?” He pointed to the bags he should have asked to take minutes ago.
She caught her lip in her teeth and Andri had to fight the urge to wrap her in a hug. No woman had ever made him feel as protective as she did. But that had been his downfall after her mother died.
“It’s too cold and dark to be out here.” He took the bags and opened the door for her to urge her inside.
The warmth from his stove greeted them as they entered the kitchen. Gabby shivered. “Thank you for sending Officer Wilson on his way. He is rather boorish, but Detective Arthur trusts him.”
Andri’s brows slammed down before he could stop them. “Did he make you uncomfortable?”
Gabriella nodded and her cheeks flamed a deep auburn. “Thank you for always being my scapegoat ... friend.”
He couldn’t keep from touching her. His hand dwarfed her shoulder, but her cheek inclined toward it, so he left it there rather than removing it. “I’m sorry for everything that has happened, Gabby, but it’s good to see you.” After all these years.
She met his gaze with one filled with a thousand questions. Oh yeah, he’d missed her. They—with his sister Ruthie—had been an inseparable trio. Until ...
My Thoughts
Eyewitness Sketch is the first book in the Di Stasio Giornaliste Agency series, and I look forward to more! With it's setting in both Chicago, and Door County, Wisconsin, I knew this was a book I had to read. (My parents grew up in Wisconsin, so there's a special place in my heart for Wisconsin).
I enjoyed the relationship between Andri and Gabby, and the touch of humor throughout. This was an enjoyable read, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, with a bit of humor, a touch of romance, and a dose of faith.
I received a complimentary copy. These opinions are my own.
About the Author
Danielle Grandinetti writes award-winning 1930s historical romance filled with mystery, suspense, and hope. She is a second-generation Italian-American rooted in Midwest traditions. Fueled by tea, books, and the creative beauty of nature, her stories explore love and belonging in hard times. Find her online at daniellegrandinetti.com.
Tour Giveaway
(3) winners will each receive a paperback copy of the prequel novella Undercover Wish and swag!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight March 10, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on March 17, 2026. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only for prize as described. Ebook available instead if winner is outside the US. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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