I received an e-copy of Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain from NetGalley for my honest review.

A wonderful book told in alternating timelines and dual perspectives. Two young women that live several decades apart are focused on the same mural. One of them is creating the mural in 1940 and the other one that is restoring the mural in 2018. We get to know both stories, what happened to the original artist and the connections between the two women.

I was fully invested in this story and loved the journey of finding out how the book would end.Told of two points of view in 1940 and 2018, the two main characters, Anna and Morgan are young artists looking to find their way. The story flows seamlessly and the reader gets caught up in the mystery and suspense.This is a really compelling, well-told book that I really enjoyed.

This was my first Diane Chamberlain novel, and despite it being a bit of a slow burn for me, I did enjoy it overall. I really liked the dual timelines and was so curious to see how they would intertwine in the end, but to be honest I felt like it all unraveled so slowly that by the time the bug reveal came, I had lost interest. I will try another one by this author though, as she has such a strong following!

Big Lies in a Small Town was an emotional and riveting novel! I really enjoyed the characters and how their stories were told. Morgan has been in prison ever since she made a big mistake one night. Two women show up one day at the prison with a work opportunity that will give her a release from prison. It seems that the one woman’s father left behind an offer when he died for Morgan to restore a very old mural that will be displayed in his new gallery. As Morgan works in the mural, she heals from her past. And she stumbles upon more details about the original artist and the man who gave her the opportunity to do the restoration. The story is told alternating between the original artist in the 1940s and Morgan during the present time.

Another wonderful story from one of my favourite authors. I just love her storytelling and unique plots.

This one is a dual timeline that alternates from 1940 small town North Carolina to 2018. In 1940, Anna is an artist from New Jersey who wins a government contest to draw a post office mural in a small town called Edenton in North Carolina. She finds some resistance from the folks there who feel that a local artist should have been given the honour to paint their mural. Before the mural can be completed Anna disappears. In 2018, Morgan is a struggling artist fallen on hard times. Morgan has recently been released from prison and has been chosen to restore the mural from long ago (that was never properly displayed.) The more she restores the mural, the more Morgan is intrigued by the long ago artist Anna and her disappearance.

An interesting story that had me reading page after page to learn the outcome of the mystery.

This was my first Diane Chamberlain book. Let me say it won’t be my last. I loved the dual timelines. I really enjoyed her writing. She kept me engaged in the story the entire time.

Morgan Christopher was being held in the North Carolina Correctional Facility for Women in Raleigh, North Carolina. She was serving time for DUI and injuring a young woman in a car accident. One day two women show up at the jail. They were there to offer her a way out of jail. Morgan had only served one of her three year sentence. If Morgan could restore a painting by a specific deadline, she was free and clear of jail.

Anna Dale was chosen as.one of the winning artists in the 48 States Mural Competition sponsored by the Treasury Department during the Great Depression. She beat out many people. She was assigned to create the mural for the post office of Edenton, North Carolina.

Read this wonderful book to see how the lives of these two young women intertwine. They both face trials and tribulations throughout their lives. Another amazing book by this author that you wont regret reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this wonderful book! I will say that initially, I wasn't sure I'd enjoy this book when I began reading, BUT, I've loved every single Diane C. book that I've read and was sure this story would be no different.
I was right! This story, told in dual timelines, is more than just about restoring art (although I loved that part of it too, amazing research on the subject) it is about relationships, trust, gossip, judgment, second chances, and persevering. Morgan is given a chance for a do-over, a way out of prison, a chance to restore a treasured art piece. She's not sure why she was picked, she isn't qualified. But Morgan's smart enough to take the opportunity and figure out a way to succeed.
Anna, a young artist temporarily living in this small North Carolina town eighty years ago, faces not only the challenge of painting a mural for the post office but also faces discrimination, and sexual abuse. It's a wonderful story of two different women overcoming challenges, and what ties them together. Stick with it - it's well worth the journey!

I love Diane Chamberlain's books and this one did not disappoint. This story was told by weaving the past life of Anna and present life of Morgan together in a story you won't forget. Morgan has a second chance at life when she is offered a job to restore a painting in return for an early release from prison. Little did she know what would be revealed by taking on this task and how the life of the artist will draw Morgan in and the effect it will have on her own life as she delves into finding out the reasons why she painted this mural as she did. Their stories captivate you and keep your attention until the final page is turned.

Thank you to the the publisher, writer and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.


Diane Chamberlain does it again with this very well written story about a young artist who needs to face her troubled past and an old mural she is hired to clean. She becomes obsessed with its artist, solving an old mystery. I loved the plot and the characters were very likeable and real to life.
4 stars and a must read!

I have to say the title of this book does not really fit. It is so vague it gives the reader no idea as to what the book is about. Here is what it is about: In the present day, a young woman named Morgan Christopher is serving a prison sentence when she is told that she can get out early, but only if she restores a mural from the 1940s for a museum opening. Morgan has some experience with art, but not with restoration, and she has no idea why she was selected for this job. Back in the 1940s, Anna Dale is a New Jersey artist selected to paint a mural for a small North Carolina town's post office. Eventually, we learn how their stories intertwine.

This book was so heavily focused on art I feel like the title should have reflected that in some way. That being said, I loved this book and really enjoyed learning about the 1940s and art restoration. The characters were all true to life, the dialogue was realistic, and i really enjoyed every minute of this book. I highly, highly recommend it.

*Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review*

What a great historical fiction work. I've always been fascinated with the wpa. I thought this a clever departure from the ww2 themes since it is postwar. I highly recommend this title. The mural painters arrival in this small town was to a divided community. She was a woman to boot! I loved the characters from the present, too!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

This is my first Diane Chamberlain book and I know it will not be my last. I love her writing. She makes it so engrossing that you want to keep reading.
This book takes place in two different time periods- the early 1940's and then in 2018. The chapters flip back and forth between the two time periods. Anna Dale is an artist that won a contest to make a mural for a post office in the south. She finds life in the south very different from her life up north, specifically in terms of segregation.
Morgan Christopher is in jail for a crime she claims she did not commit. She is offered a chance at restoring the mural that Anna Dale painted. While she was an art major, restoration is not anything she has ever attempted.
The 'big' lies that the town holds along with some of the people who live in the small town keeps your interest the entire time. What happened to Anna Dale? Why was Morgan Christopher selected to restore this mural?
I highly recommend reading this book if you love a good mystery.

It's been a while since I have read a book by Diane Chamberlain, and I must admit that I had some reservations about Big Lies in a Small Town simply because I am typically not a big fan of historical fiction. I used this as an opportunity to branch out of my reading comfort zone, and I'm happy to say that the result was positive for me. Told in alternating timelines of past and present, Big Lies in a Small Town captures readers from the very beginning and keeps them engaged until the very end.

I loved this story. The dual timelines were both equally interesting and meshed together so well. I am not going to repeat the blurb about this book because it gives just enough information to intrigue a reader. I will say that the character development was exceptional. I loved learning about both Anna and Morgan. Both these women had the odds stacked against them, but were able to overcome them to become strong, passionate women. Anna lived in a time where women were second class citizens, especially artists, but she proved that she had talent. I loved that she also wanted to nurture young people who had talent, to develop those skills and she encouraged them to do so. Morgan had been released from prison to complete the job she was hired for. She had to overcome the stigma of being a convict as well as an alcoholic. She develops some good relationships with people she comes in contact with that will change her life. The setting of Edenton was interesting. It was a small southern town with all the prejudices, culture and expectations that often come with it. The secondary characters also played very important roles in this book and I learned just enough about them to develop opinions and care about most of them. This was a very well-written story that gripped me right from the beginning and held my interest throughout. As the story progressed, I stopped listening to the story and switched to the ebook because I wanted to find out what happened and I could read faster. The ending was somewhat unexpected, but I did have some suspicions as the story went on. Another wonderful book from an author that is quickly becoming a favourite of mine.

Big Lies in a Small Town is a suspenseful mystery that is full of thrilling twists and turns. A story that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very shocking end. The book is told from the perspectives of two interesting characters set in the same small town but in different timelines.  Big Lies in a Small Town is an engaging story full of surprises and shocking reveals. Chamberlain as written a story that will satisfy many readers!

Not my favorite Diane Chamberlain novel. There were many parts (especially the art details) that we just boring to me. Most of the book was a slog. The ending was good and very satisfying. Diane Chamberlain is an author I will always read. This one wasn't for me, but I look forward to her next book.

This was a good take on historical fiction mixed with now. This wasn't my first Diane Chamberlain rodeo, in fact I think it's my sixth. I started my love of mysteries/thrillers with Jodi Picoult years and years ago, and Diane Chamberlain has a very similar expertise. Every book seems to intertwine the past and present in such a way that makes the story leap off the pages. This was a very well crafted novel that makes an off piece of artwork the focal point of the story. A really good and engaging read!

Our NC town had a post office mural. Recently, the building was sold, and there was great worry as to whether or not the city would be aware of the mural' s importance. Thankfully, the murals was saved. That event made this book very interesting to me.

In a different era from today, our federal government saw the importance of art and artists, even in a time of economic depression; thus, came the post office murals, the slave narratives, and other artistic endeavors that give us a look into the past.

The story is not about a real mural. It is set in a town that really did not have a mural, but it is interesting in its description of how the artists were chosen and how murals were produced. The plot is a little weak, and a lot of it is unbelievable or, at least, stretched too thinly.