Another brilliant book by Diane Chamberlain! I was gripped all the way through, could not out this book down! By far one of the best books I’ve read this year, definitely worth a read

Thank you to Net Galley for this ebook. As always Diane Chamberlain does not disappoint. I loved everything about it. Loved watching Morgan grow throughout the story. And Anna was such a strong character! Would recommend this book to everyone. It is a must read!

Two women separated by decades but connected by their love for art deal with a dark secret. When one sets out to discover what happened to the other, both of their lives will change. Author Diane Chamberlain will keep readers riveted until the end with her main characters in her incredible novel Big Lies in a Small Town.

It’s 1939, and New Jersey native Anna Dale has just lost her mother. Anna watched her mother struggle with wildly changing moods; sometimes she’d burst through the days with enough energy for ten women. Then she’d sink so low that she’d have trouble getting out of bed. Anna lived for those animated periods in her mother’s life; her mother’s passion for photography encouraged her own artwork. Now, though, Anna is all alone in the world.

When she gets word of winning a national art contest, Anna is both pleased and puzzled. She’d entered the contest hoping to win the opportunity to paint a mural for her hometown of Plainfield, New Jersey. The judges inform her that while another artist will paint the Plainfield mural, Anna has been chosen to paint the mural for the post office of Edenton, North Carolina.

Anna knows nothing about North Carolina; she’s never even traveled that far south. She can’t turn down the opportunity of the prize money, though, so she packs her bags for Edenton where she steps right into the duality of southern hospitality. As she researches the town and gets to know its residents, Anna realizes the task of painting a mural to represent Edenton may be bigger than she could manage on her own. The danger comes in knowing who to ask for help.

In early June of 2018, former art student Morgan Christopher is serving a three-year sentence in the North Carolina Women’s Correctional Facility for a crime she didn’t commit—except no one believes her because she confessed to it. After her first year in prison, Morgan dreads waking up in her cell every day. She’d do anything, she knows, to get out of jail for good.

Her wish is fulfilled when the daughter of a famous artist comes to see her. Morgan has admired the works of Jesse Williams for years and is beside herself when Williams’ daughter, Lisa, tells her there’s a way for her to get out on parole. Shortly before his death, Williams updated his will to stipulate the opening of a new art gallery in Edenton. The gallery needs to open on August 5 and will house Williams’ own work as well as the work of other prominent artists and promising students.

Williams stated in his will that Morgan was to be hired to restore the mural painted by Anna Dale. The mural, Lisa tells Morgan, has been rolled up and lying in a corner of her house for decades. No matter what state it’s in, it must be fully restored and installed in time for the gallery’s opening in August. In exchange for the restoration, Morgan will get out on parole and receive $50,000. If the restoration isn’t completed in time, Lisa will lose her house.

Despite her complete ignorance in art restoration, Morgan jumps at the chance. She starts with the mural and soon gets involved in a mystery: although it was completed, it was never hung in Edenton’s post office. As Morgan uncovers one square foot of the canvas at a time, she discovers the secrets Anna and the town of Edenton fought to keep.

Author Diane Chamberlain weaves an easy tale to follow. By switching chapters between Anna and Morgan, she doesn’t keep readers waiting too long on the stories of either women. Anna’s character arc follows familiar territory of race relations in small southern towns in the 1940s while also offering surprises. Morgan’s chapters, in first person, bring to readers her confusion that she restore the mural as well as her determination to do anything to stay out of prison.

Both women fight for themselves in their circumstances but also learn to fight for others. The connections between them might seem obvious, but Chamberlain’s meticulous plotting helps the story unfold in such a natural, organic way that readers will find themselves worrying about Anna and Morgan as they second-guess what will happen next.

Fans of fiction set in small towns will thoroughly enjoy this one. I recommend readers Binge Big Lies in a Small Town.

Morgan gets the chance of a lifetime. Immediate parole from prison if she agrees to restore a post-office mural in a small North Carolina town. Morgan has no idea if she'll be able to complete the job, but she's willing to try. Alternating with Morgan's story is the story of Anna Dale, the original mural artist, in 1940.

I couldn't decide which part of the story I loved more. Chamberlain laid a perfect story that weaved past and present in such an intricate way. I could not wait for the minute every day when I could read!

Rating: 5/5 stars

Big Lies in a Small Town is the captivating dual story of artists Anna Dale and Morgan Christopher. In 1939, artist Anna Dale wins a national contest to paint a mural in Edenton, North Carolina. Alone after the death of her mother, Anna moves to Edenton to paint the mural and quickly finds that life in the South in the 1940s is much different from that in her native New Jersey. Prejudices run deep and women are expected to abide by certain expectations of propriety.

In 2018, Morgan Christopher is serving a prison term after taking the blame for a crime she didn't commit until she is freed by Lisa Williams, daughter of famed artist Jesse Williams, whose work Morgan always admired. Lisa tells her that Jesse's will stipulated that Morgan be hired to restore an 80 year old mural to hang in the gallery that the will requires Lisa to open in Jesse's hometown, Edenton, North Carolina. As Morgan begins the work, she finds strange and disturbing imagery embedded in the mural, which was never installed, and finds herself pulled into the mystery of what happened to Anna Dale, the mysterious artist who seems to have disappeared after the completion of the mural.

Chamberlain deftly weaves together the stories of the two artists dealing with different challenges in different times and pulls the reader into the mystery of the secrets held by the strange mural and what happened to Anna Dale. The story of the two women was captivating and I devoured this book in a couple of sittings. I recommend Big Lies in a Small Town for readers who enjoy a good slow burn suspense with a touch of historical fiction thrown in for good measure.

Oh what a tangled web she weaves!

I think one of the things I love most about a Diane Chamberlain novel is her ability to weave past and present into such an entertaining , thought provoking and suspenseful page turner, time and time again.

Big Lies in a Small Town does just that with solid characters, a fresh and imaginative story line, and some nice plot twists that were revealed at just the right time.

My only complaint would be the ending was not as strong as I had been prepared for, but still not enough to drop my rating any lower.

Probably one of my top 3 Chamberlain reads!

ARC provided by NetGalley

I think I’ve been smiling for the last few chapters of this book. Of the 71 (I think) books I’ve reviewed for NetGalley, this one is EASILY in my top 5 of all time. WOW. This book has so many twists and turns, well developed characters with so much heart and history and REAL people flaws. It captivated me from the very beginning. You will not be sorry if you buy this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher (and author) for giving me a chance to read and review this book.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review. I have never read this author's work before and that may change, as I enjoyed this book immensely, more so than I expected. The description was interesting, but the back and forth between Anna in 1939/1940 and Morgan in 2018 had me reading and not wanting to put the book down.

Morgan is in prison for complications of a 2nd DUI and aggravated assault with a vehicle. She gets early work release because of a late respected artist's will stipulated she must help restore a mural of his friend Anna. Concurrently we learn of Anna who left NJ to paint a mural of the town of Edenton, NC. She faces many challenges as a young single woman who has been told by powerful men in town she's not one of their own. She befriends many, but makes a few enemies for her unconventional attire, welcomeness to a young Negro man. Of course times have changed but in 1940, racism was the statud quo.

Morgan is trying to restore this mural of Anna's and understand the strange addition of certain items, that in a way are clues. When Morgan finds her journal she discovers what happened to Anna, at least until she left town. Because Morgan was an art student at UNC, she recognizes something in the mural that helps find what became of Anna, the conclusion had a tear or 2 coming from my eyes. Morgan's discovery of art restoration, as well as learning to heal and forgive herself and fall in love were rejoicing to me. She takes her final step to make amends for her mistakes. While this book isn't a thriller, the mystery is very interesting and different, as an art lover. The writing is very solid. I would recommend this book to anyone.
*trigger warning*

Two timelines, two lives intertwined. The first in 1940 Anna Dale, the winnizng artist in a contest to paint the mural that isto be hung in the post office of a small southern town. The second in 2018, Morgan Dale, out on parole from prison to restore the mural that was never hung and displayed in 1940. Very interesting storylines and author weaves a great story incorporating them together in the end. I enjoyed this book. Thank you Net Galley and St Martin's Press for this Digital ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Big Lies in a Small Town follows the stories of two women living in the same small town, but almost 80 years apart. Edenton, North Carolina is the setting for this novel about modern day Morgan, who is restoring a mural painted by Anna, who was visiting the town in 1940. Morgan becomes intrigued by Anna's story and wants to solve the mystery of what happened to Anna, who disappeared while working on the mural.

I really enjoyed getting to know the two different protagonists, and watching their lives intertwine while living many decades apart. I found myself rooting for both women. While there were instances in which I thought the plot was a little improbable, overall I found myself reading the book quickly and missing it when I finished.

Anna, an emerging artist, is given the opportunity of a lifetime. Morgan, a former art student turned prison inmate, is given a redemptive opportunity. Two women in two different eras in time tell their respective stories and find they have more in common then they could ever imagine.

Ms Chamberlain delivers a very interesting and detailed story. I found it to be rather laborious at times but was worth the wait in the end. She obviously researched all of the elements within the story very well and added some twists I actually didn’t see coming.

I loved this book!! I love it when a book grabs hold of me and I can't get to sleep because I'm so close to the end but so sleepy I try to sleep - but then give in at 2 am and get up again to read until I finish it. And now I'm sorry the book has ended and I want to know more about these characters. What happened in their lives next?!

The characters were so well written!! Sympathetic and yet strong; strong and yet vulnerable. I especially appreciated the way the author identified each chapter so no time was wasted trying to figure out who was talking, what time frame are we in - such as seems to be the norm with many books nowadays.

The two parallel stories of Anna and Morgan were seamlessly told and built toward solving the mystery of what on earth tied them together to a very satisfying conclusion. I loved these two characters as well as Jesse and Nellie and - - - - well, all of them!! Every character was so well written and important to the story. I could picture them all vividly in my head as I read. That's the mark of excellent writing.

Extremely well-written and enjoyable book!!

Big Lies in a Samll Town is a riveting read. He narrative switches back from 1940 to 2018. Morgan is paying for a crime committed by someone else until redemption arrives. She has to restore a painting of an artist who vanished. The artist's story is revealed in the flashbacks. I perceived correctly after a few chapters how the story would go so there were no surprises for me. I didn't like how the author left the ending hanging, I wouldn't have preferred a smooth resolution. It's a great read about accountability, small town southern life in the 1940s and the love of art.

Well written story that is told through two timelines. In the present, we are introduced to 22 year old Morgan who is serving time in prison. She is visited by a woman who offers her early parole in exchange for her restoring an old, ruined mural. She accepts the offer despite having no experience in art restoration.
In the past, we meet Anna Dale, a young artist who wins a competition to paint a mural in a small southern town.
These two women's lives are connected yet we don't find out until the end how. This was an intriguing story of mystery, abuse, lies, secrets and racism. It was a real page turner! I received a complimentary ebook through Netgalley.com.

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain is and enthralling read. The characters are well-developed and interesting. I enjoyed the way this story of two women, from two very different periods of time in history, and in two different locations, was weaved together through one piece of artwork. The story-telling of the mystery of what happened to Anna, the original artist who conceived the original mural, and the ex-con, Morgan, a woman who took responsibility for another's crime, kept me turning the pages. The racial aspect of the story and the divisive issues related to prejudice are handled adeptly by the author and work to make this a must-read novel. The author deftly weaved a budding relationship between Morgan and art curator, Oliver. This relationship served to provide Morgan, and the reader, with a sharp contrast of what real love looks like as opposed to how a woman might easily settle for a man of dubious character. I very much appreciate how this original storyline, presented a solid depiction of not only racial issues, but of the prejudice against women and the "Me Too"movement as well.

I just adore every book that Diane writes and am in awe of the ability she has to write so many different themes and yet every one is totally gripping. I absolutely LOVED this book and raced through its pages. It was so easy to engage with such lovely characters, i.e. Anna the artist creating a mural for her town in the 1940's and Morgan in the present day restoring that mural to its former glory with so many problems and obstacles along the way. I loved the way the chapters alternated from Anna to Morgan giving the reader an insight into these two strong ladies and how they connected with and mirrored one another. There were some heart wrenching parts to the book especially regarding Anna and and also Jesse, the latter a lovely young man facing racial prejudice in the 40's and how his life turned out. I couldn't wait to get back to this book whenever I was forced to leave it for a while as it was just so riveting. The conclusion held some surprises and also tied up very nicely. However, should Diane ever want to do a follow up I feel there is some scope in telling Emily's story. I would love to know how the accident affected her own life and what happened to her in those intervening years.. Either way, I can say that I turned the final page of the story with satisfaction and the lovely feeling of having had a very special few days in the company of these wonderful characters. Diane's notes at the end were fascinating and enlightening too,. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

Diane Chamberlain never disappoints! Big Lies in a Small Town is on course for the fiction best seller list. Brains a transplant to N.C., I found the history in this book very fascinating.

I loved this book and was given an early copy in exchange for an honest review. I devour all Diane Chamberlain books and this one was no exception. I actually finished it a while ago and thought I already left feedback for it!

It’s an amazing read and if you live Diane Chamberlain she won’t disappoint.

This is the second novel of Diane Chamberlain's that I have read(the first was "The Dream Daughter") and she is a fantastic story teller!
The plot moved along smoothly, kept me intrigued, and had a satisfying ending.

BIG LIES IN A SMALL TOWN by Diane Chamberlain is a gripping story full of secrets, lies and small town intrigue that kept me engaged from beginning to end. Set in Edenton, North Carolina, it is told in two time frames. In 1940, young New Jersey artist Anna Dale wins a competition to paint a mural that will hang in Edenton’s post office. She faces skepticism and even anger from the town’s long-time residents who think an outsider, especially a woman, cannot properly capture the essence of their history. Despite the less than warm welcome, Anna forges ahead with painting her mural, determined to prove them all wrong. In 2018, twenty-two year old Morgan Christopher is serving a prison sentence for a crime that she didn’t commit. One day, an unknown visitor offers her a chance at immediate parole if she agrees to restore a mural found in the possession of the visitor’s father, famed artist Jesse Jameson Williams. The story of the mural alternates back and forth between the present and the past as the author gradually reveals how the two storylines are intertwined. The characters were well-developed and believable. The book deals with some sensitive topics such as racial bias, mental illness, and domestic abuse in an honest and compassionate way. There is plenty of mystery and unexpected twists leading up to the dramatic conclusion. I enjoyed this interesting and thought-provoking book. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy.