I’m an ardent fan of this author and look forward to everyone of her releases. Her topics are all unique from one another. Each book a completely different experience than the last. Her versatility is one of her greatest strengths as a writer. Another is the character development. She always gets me caring for her characters as if I personally know them and continue to ponder their stories long after the last page is turned.

Unlike most of her work this took me awhile to get into it, over 50% into the digital ARC. This is highly unusual as her novels usually grasp my interest immediately, and in fact the publishers description did that for me, but I found it moved along slower than I had anticipated. It was worth the wait and I knew it would be, for more reasons than just the writing.

I am a Fine Art lover, not an artist, but artistic talent does run in my blood line. My father was an oil painter, and a good one, specializing in portraits, sea and landscapes. After retirement from my own career I became his agent and marketed his work successfully for the last 20 years of his life. It gave me such pride to see the joy his work brought to others. It was easy to relate to some of the scenes revolving around the artwork.

There is a myriad of emotions evoked by the stories of Anna in 1940 and Morgan in 2018. The historical detail was fascinating, not just about the real town of Edenton, NC, but about it’s inhabitants, the racial divide of the 40s, and about restoring art itself, something I’ve often wondered about. I almost wished I’d read the artists notes featured at the end of the book before I started the novel, as it would have given me an even better anticipation of its contents.

If you are a lover of historical fiction that revolves around some truths, a lover of art, or just want to curl up with a believable satisfying novel, treat yourself to a copy of Diane Chamberlain’s latest, at your favorite retailer on January 14, 2020.

My thanks to NG, St. Martin’s Press, and of course author Chamberlain for the e-ARC and the opportunity to express my personal opinion of this work.

I enjoyed this book. It started slow but in the middle the story clicked. Want to read more from this author. Liked the happy ending

Thanks NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Diane Chamberlain for giving me the chance to read her new book: Big Lies In A Small Town, it's the first book I have read by this author and It wont be my last.

2018, Morgan Christopher found herself serving time in the North Carolina Correctional Facility, she's young, very naive, she made a big mistake, trusted the wrong person and she never considered she could be sent to jail! Once she understands how much trouble she's in, she's tries desperately to explain that she didn't commit the crime, but it's far too late, no one will believe her and she's sentenced to serve three years in jail.

One day, she is taken to the private visitors room and two unknown women are waiting to see to her. Morgan is totally confused, one of the ladies is Lisa Williams and the other is her lawyer Andrea Fuller. Lisa explains to her that she's the daughter of a famous artist called Jesse Jameson Williams, they want her to restore a mural, if she agrees, she can leave jail with Lisa and be released on parole. Morgan has been in jail for a year, she's been sleeping with one eye open and she's very keen to get out of jail. Prior to going to jail, she was studying art, but they want her to restore a depression era mural and she's had zero experience? Of course she leaves jail with Lisa, she will be living with her and plans have been made for her to meet her parole officer the next day. What had she gotten herself into now, the parole officer didn't beat around the bush, Morgan is to report to her fortnightly, wear a ankle bracelet and she must attend weekly AA meetings. Morgan discovers the mural she's to restore is dirty, it's damaged, it has to be fully restored by the 5th of August and she has two months to complete the restoration or Lisa will lose her inheritance. The mural is to be a major piece in the galleries opening exhibition, why did Jesse Williams want her to restore it and it made no sense?

The book has a dual timeline, the story alternates between the present time of 2018 and goes back to 1940.

1940, Anna Dale, is a young artist she lives in New Jersey and she won a national contest to paint a mural for the post office in Edenton in North Carolina. Anna is lonely, her mother has just passed away, she needs to find work and she decides to drive to Edenton to take a look around. Once she arrives in Edenton, they want her to start painting the mural right away, why waste time returning to New Jersey and she can board with sweet Miss Myrtle. Anna quickly discovers life in the South is very different to New Jersey, people still have very old fashioned ideas, ladies don't go out alone at night, they don't wear pants, they don't climb ladders, they don't make friends with colored people, especially colored men and people soon questioning her odd Yankee ways!
Big Lies In A Small Town, is a story full of surprises, it hooks you right in from the start and you don't want it to end. You notice how similar Anna and Morgan are and they both had difficult childhoods.
The book covers so many relevant issues that effect so many people and families. They include forgiveness, trust, judgment, domestic violence, mental illness, alcohol abuse, racism and justice.

I loved the book, I gave it five big stars and well done Diane Chamberlain.

I have read several books by Diane Chamberlain and have really liked them. Big Lies in a Small Town was no exception. Diane Chamberlain is one of my favorite authors. She just has the knack of writing stories that work. I would consider listening to this book on audio CD when it is published even though I have already read it. The story was easy to follow and I loved the characters. I was sorry when I was finished because I just did not want it to end. The story was written in a dual time frame switching back and forth between 2018 and 1940.

On June 8, 2018, Morgan Christopher, who was serving a prison sentence at the North Carolina Correctional Facility for Women in Raleigh, North Carolina, was about to meet visitors who would change her life dramatically. Morgan had just finished serving her one-year minimum sentence for a D.U.I. charge but her maximum sentence was for three years. She and her boyfriend had been drinking at a party. When they left the party, her boyfriend got in his car and proceeded to drive the two them home. They were both so drunk they had no business driving. Their irresponsible behavior resulted in a terrible accident. Morgan's boyfriend hit a young girl and she became paralyzed as a result. Rather than man up and take the consequences for the crime, Morgan's boyfriend took off and left the scene of the crime and left Morgan to assume the role of driver. Morgan was so shaken up by the accident that by the time she realized what had taken place it was too late. When she tried to tell everyone concerned that she was not the driver no one believed her. Her boyfriend twisted the story and had everyone believing the story he had invented. He was going to attend law school in the fall and this would ruin everything for him if he was convicted so he allowed Morgan to accept the punishment. Here she was one year later trying to find out why these two women had come to see her. Morgan was introduced to Lisa, Jesse Jameson Williams's daughter and her lawyer, Andrea Fuller. For the last twenty-five years of Jesse's life he had dedicated himself to helping young artists and Morgan was told that he had picked her as his next project. Jesse Jameson Williams was one of Morgan's favorite artists. Before he died he made it clear that he wanted Morgan to restore an old 1940's mural to be hung in his new gallery. His only stipulations were that the gallery had to open on August 5th and the mural had to be completed and hung in the gallery before the gallery opened. Morgan was so confused. She was sure there had to be some mistake. Jesse Jameson Williams did not know her and she knew nothing about restoring old murals. She was told that she would be out on parole and would have to meet with a parole officer and attend AA meetings. Morgan would live at Jesse Jameson Williams's house and she would be paid fifty thousand dollars for doing it. She had no idea how she would be able to do what was expected of her but if it meant getting out of jail she was all in. In that instance, Morgan knew her life would never be the same but she could never had guessed how she and her life would change.

Between 1939 and 1940, Anna Dale was informed by the United States Treasury Department, Section of Fine Arts that she one of the winning artists in the 48 States Mural Competition. Anna had submitted a sketch intended for the Bordentown, New Jersey Post Office but another artist won that spot. Anna was selected to create a mural for the Edenton, North Carolina Post Office. She would be awarded $720.oo for this endeavor. This assignment would forever change Anna's life. Anna knew nothing about Edenton, North Carolina so she decided the best way to find out about a town was to visit it. She soon discovered that Edenton was a rather small town and everyone knew everyone else. There were no secrets in Edenton. Anna was introduced to all the important people in the town and they graciously showed Anna around their town so she could get a sense of its history and what was important enough for her to paint on her mural. Of course everyone had different ideas about what she should include. Anna soon discovered that a native man from Edenton had also entered the contest but had not won. Some of the people in town made it known that they thought Martin Drapple the local artist who had grown up in Edenton should have won the contest that Anna won. Most of the people in Edenton made it quite clear that they were very surprised a girl had won. Artists were supposed to be men. Anna Dale really had her work cut out for her, not knowing what she was going to encounter from the people in this town. She originally planned to stay in Edenton a few days but the townspeople persuaded her to stay the whole time while she was working on the mural. Since her mother had recently died Anna had no one to go back to in New Jersey so when one of the men suggested she might be able to rent a room in Miss Myrtle's house Anna was interested and felt it made sense. Myrtle Simms was a widow who had an extra bedroom since her daughter had just gotten married and moved out. Anna agreed to look into it and she believed it was a good idea. The last piece of the puzzle was to find a studio space where she could work on the mural. Toby Fiering, manager of the cotton mill suggested that Anna could use an old abandoned warehouse. The men of Edenton were willing to fix it up for her so it seemed like the matter was settled. After being shown around to all the important spots in Edenton and after Anna heard all the history and stories about the town Anna had a good idea of what she was going to paint. Anna did not feel comfortable in the warehouse when she first began working there but it grew on her. She would need help to complete the mural so local high school students interested in art began to come to the warehouse to help Anna after school. One of the students was a "colored" boy named Jesse. Anna discovered that he was very talented and she took a liking to him. Some of the people in town did not think it was proper for Anna to be working with a "colored" boy or to be alone with him but Anna only saw Jesse as a promising young artist who wanted to learn everything he could from her. People in the town tried to warn Anna about what southerners felt was proper. Anna did not always see their point of view. Anna and Jesse formed a friendship based on respect. Both of their lives would be turned upside down but would remain connected through art and their friendship.

Living in separate times, Morgan, Anna and Jesse Jameson Williams would find a thread through the world of art that connected them to each other. All three would experience heartache, love, discovery, friendship, and purpose. I did not see the ending coming. It was a complete surprise and made the book even more endearing for me.I truly enjoyed reading Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain and would recommend it very highly.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Diane Chamberlain for affording me the opportunity to read Big Lies in a Small Town. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

In 1940, Anna is selected to design a mural for the post office. Although she requested a spot closer to her home in NJ, she is offered one in NC. Set in the current day are chapters featuring Morgan, who is in prison for causing a car accident while intoxicated. The chapters alternate between 1940, when Anna was selected to paint the mural, and the current day, when Morgan was released from prison to restore the mural. The book was well written, but I felt the plots were too much like those of a soap opera. Between Anna’s story (Woman gets raped. She kills rapist. Finds out she is pregnant. Disappears before being indicted.) and Morgan’s (College student gets drunk at party with boyfriend. He drives anyway. They cause a terrible accident which maims a young woman. Boyfriend vanishes, leaving girl to take the blame. She goes to prison, because now no one believes she wasn’t driving.) The soap opera plot, coupled with the surprises at the end added up to entirely too many coincidences for me. I read the book because I requested it and promised an honest review, but it was not one I enjoyed at all. Three stars for the quality of the writing. Thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for the ARC.

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain
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At twenty-two, Morgan is serving a prison sentence for a crime she didn't actually commit. When a stranger pays her a visit and offers an early release from prison in exchange for an artistic commitment, Morgan jumps at the chance of freedom that she's being offered. Unfortunately, while Morgan has studied art, she knows nothing about the meticulous process of art restoration that this stranger would like for her to do. As Morgan learns the intricacies of this daunting task and puts them into practice, she uncovers odd details within the mural she has before her. Is there more to this painting than what orginally met the eye? Who was this artist, Anna Dale, who over half a century ago won the privilege of painting this mural & why do rumors claim she lost her mind before finishing it? The secrets are plentiful in the small southern town of Edenton, NC and maybe, just maybe, Anna decided to tell them all, the best way she knew how...
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I loved this book waaaaay more than I expected to. ❤️  I loved the mystery behind Anna and seeing how everything unraveled for her and then came together at the end. & I loved the growth that Morgan experienced and the life lessons she had to learn, in order to move forward. Both storylines were equally captivating and the characters are truly unforgettable!
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Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Diane Chamberlain for the opportunity to read and review this novel before it's release date of January 14, 2020.

Diane Chamberlain is one of my favorite new to me authors. 'Big Lies in a Small Town' continues that and is in my top books of 2019! Publishing in January 2020 so put it on your TBR list NOW!

Two women in two timelines- Anna 1940 and Morgan 2018. Each is processing a pain that is deep and profound as their lives change in ways they had no planned and they are forced to learn about themselves and the world around them shifting.

Anna's artwork wins her a chance to paint a mural in a post office for the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.). The city she entered for is not the city she gets and she ends up in small town Edentown, North Carolina. The town is split in how they feel about an outsider painting the mural. Anna is trying to grieve a huge personal loss AND stay focused on the mural.

Morgan accepted the blame in the name of love and soon realizes how this will impact the rest of her life. She ends up in Edentown as well and how these two women's stories overlap and connect make this book a thought provoking read that also makes you laugh, cry, and be thankful for what you have.

Again put it on your TBR!!! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

This is the first book I've read from Dianne Chamberlain. It was offered by Netgalley and I thought it looked interesting so I decided to give it a read. It far surpassed my expectations. I was immediately pulled into the story and had trouble putting the book down.

Chapters are brief, quickly moving back and forth from Anna, in third person, to Morgan, in first person. Though it's common enough to read books told from different POVs, seldom does it happen that one is first and the other is third person. And then, right at the end, the author switches from past tense to present tense. It worked beautifully.

There a compelling mystery built into this story, and the pacing of the revelations is perfect. The reader is given just enough time to think they know what is going to happen, though I hardly ever did. The characters, with whom I might have believed I had nothing in common, were multidimensional and relatable. I feel in love with them.

In fact, I was so in love with the characters and the plot that I kept reading right through the end to Acknowledgments & Author's Notes, where I learned a lot about the process of writing the book, and all of the hard work that went into it. I must say I am impressed. I highly recommend reading this book, a slice of life depicting the racial and social mores of the 1940s in the South. Any woman or person of color who wants to go back to the "good ole days" needs to have their head examined.

This is the third book by Diane Chamberlain I have read and once again, it was another good read.. While each of her books share some common elements, they all feel uniquely different. You kinda know where the author might be headed fairly early on but because the characters are fully-developed you feel invested in them and want to see their story unfold. She's a good storyteller and I look forward to checking out more of her books in the future.

Morgan Christopher was on track for a career as in artist but ended up in prison for a crime she didn't commit. She is given the opportunity for early release as long as she stays on the straight and narrow and restores an old post office mural. The whole art restoration is out of her area of expertise but who the heck wants to stay in prison? So of course she accepts the offer and with a tight deadline she just hopes she can finish the project on time.

This story alternates between Morgan in the present time and the 1940s when Anna Dale, an artist from New Jersey, has just won a contest to paint a mural for a post office in North Carolina. She arrives in the small town of Edenton, North Carolina to get ideas for the mural. She soon realizes this town is full of secrets, racism, and lies, among other things, and she sure as heck better watch her back.

It was easy to feel this almost protectiveness over both Morgan and Anna because they were basically all alone in the world. I'm not an artistic person at all but I did find the process of making the mural as well as the restoration of it, pretty fascinating. I wouldn't say this book packed the same emotional punch as the author's previous book, The Dream Daughter, but there are definitely some touching moments. This is just a really solid novel and if you enjoyed the author's other books, you will be sure to want to give this one a look!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

I’m a big fan of Diane Chamberlain, and this book did not disappoint, The early chapters are rather slow moving, but hang in there, it gets better! Two troubled women at two different points in time, a mural and secrets make for a riveting read.

Big Lies in a Small Town got my attention from the very beginning. However, I soon learned that this was a book that “time traveled” between characters. I began reading but would dread finishing a chapter because I knew I’d have to go back to the other character. About halfway through, my least favorite character became my favorite. Soon, I was enjoying everything! This really is a good book with enough twists and turns to keep you engaged until the last page. Thank you to Netgalley for offering me the book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Big lies in a small town is the story of two women born in different times dealing with issues which are beyond their control. Each woman will have her challenges and her triumphs. Each will be tested, and each will have to prove herself.. The plot switches between timelines (then/now) and follows the two women as they are connected by a painting/mural project that they are both working on in different capacities. I found the 1st part of the book hard to get into but as soon as I got into it, I couldn't put it down.. I really liked how it was all tied up in the end. Once I got into it I loved how she told us both sides of the two women. Thank you net Galley for providing me with an advanced copy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

Big Lies in a Small Town was my first time reading a Diane Chamberlain book and HOT DANG! I literally feel an instant need to collect and read all of her books now and forever and ever, amen.

I completely loved the setup of Big Lies in a Small Town, which switches back and forth between Morgan in 2018 and Anna Dale in 1940. I was really intrigued by both of the women's stories, but especially Anna's. 1940 in Edenton, NC was full of racism and sexism, but also a lot of culture and heritage. I am very impressed with the way Chamberlain made that period of history come alive in this novel, and I felt like I was right there.

Both of the women's stories were heartbreaking, but also there were so many times that I laughed out loud at something that happened. The humor, compassion, sadness, and tragedy were also amplified by the short chapters which really packed a punch. Big Lies in a Small Town is beautifully written with so much emotion and detail, that it makes me wonder what took me so long to read one of Chamberlain's books. The infusion of historical fiction into contemporary was perfectly done, and I adored how both stories wrapped up at the end.

Song/s the book brought to mind: Ready When It Comes by Jamie O'Neal

Final Thought: I could sing praises for Big Lies in a Small Town all day, that is how much I loved it! With this one book, Chamberlain has already become an auto-buy author for me and I can't wait to collect and read all her novels. If you love books that mix contemporary with historical and combine the lives of the characters to make something perfect, you MUST read this book. The addition of art and art restoration was also enlightening, and I would like to think you like me will learn something as well.

Thank you to the publisher for my advanced review copy via NetGalley. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

I enjoy Diane Chamberlain's books almost all the time! This one was a new story with some twists along the way and some romance. The characters are likable and the setting and premise are good. It was not one of my favorites because I could not really connect to the main character, but I think that is very subjective. I loved the small town setting and all of the ins and outs of the politics and history there. Diane always offers a good story!

This turned out to be so so so good!! I am just going to go ahead and give this a 5*! Loved the story, the writing, the characters, the setting, and most of all I think I fell in love with Anna Dale's mural which played a big part in getting her and Morgan Christopher's paths to cross in such a pleasantly unexpected way.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher St. Martin's Press and the author for providing me with an e-Arc of the book.

This book was completely charming. Set both in relatively present day and back in the 1900s. Morgan was taken from prison for some odd reason to restore an art piece. As she is restoring the piece, the book is also revealing the story of the author.. For fans of Diane Chamberlain, this is a must read!

What a terrific introduction I've just had into the work of Diane Chamberlain.    Her most recent novel Big Lies In A Small Town reeled me in from the beginning and was one of those books I couldn't put down.   The old adage better late than never seems quite apt as I've just discovered she has some 25 titles to her credit.     Big Lies may well be my first but I already have my sights set on at least one other.

As is so poular these days, this novel has a dual time line and it worked really well for me.  Our two main female protagonists are Anna Dale and Morgan Christopher.   The 'small town' of the title is Edenton, North Carolina.   Anna's story is set in Edenton in 1940.    She's an up and coming New Jersey born artist who has just won a government competition to paint a mural for the Edenton Post Office.   Morgan's story is set in Edenton in 2018.     She's been released from jail on parole on the  condition she completes the restoration of Anna Dale's mural which is to be hung in the foyer of a new Edenton  gallery.     There are many parallels in the lives of Anna and Morgan.    Not only are they passionate about their art, but they are each 22 when in their respective timelines and both young women have experienced major life altering events.   I thoroughly enjoyed the  way their stories were intertwined and eagerly awaited the denoument so I could piece together how their stories became linked, how these characters ended up and surprisingly I was interested in the art restoration process, something I'd never previously thought about.  With themes of mental health, family and small town dynamics, race relations in the 1940's, friendships, guilt and redemption, and of course the hint of romance this one ticked all the boxes.

My thanks to Diane Chamberlain, St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review which it was my pleasure to provide.

Wow, this was a great read for me. How the present and past were woven together, and that ending - definitely a book worth reading.

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely fascinating! My eyes were glued to the pages. I loved it. Diane Chamberlain has penned a solid hit!

This story is told in two timelines and the chapters go back and forth between the two. In the 2018 timeline, we meet Morgan Christopher who is in prison, serving time for a DUI in which another was critically injured. She gets a visit from a woman, Lisa, who proposes to get her out of prison if she will agree to restore a mural. Morgan had been an art student before she went to prison. The mural had been in the possession of a famous artist, Lisa's father Jesse, who died and in his will insisted that Morgan be the one to restore it. There is a deadline tied to this restoration.

In the 1940 timeline, Anna Dale has won a contest to paint a mural for a post office in Edenton, North Carolina. She lives in Edenton while working on the mural and there is an incident there that changes her entire life.

Chamberlain's writing is beautifully descriptive and totally immerses you in the story. The characters are vivid and richly drawn. The tension in the story builds gradually and there are unexpected twists. Both timelines are entrancing. Very highly recommended!

Many thanks to Diane Chamberlain and St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a brilliant book by an author at the top of her literary powers.
It will keep you up at night until you finish it. I enjoyed the characters, the plot and especially the ending. This book has something for everyone, you will not be disappointed!