Diane Chamberlain was on my “authors I’d like to read” for a while now because Nicole from GirlyGirlBookWorm really likes her, and us two have the similar taste in books.

This was my first read by this writer, but it surely won’t be the last, because I really liked Big Lies in a Small Town.

The story follows two time lines: one set in 1940 and the second set in today’s time.
This book made me realize that I actually enjoy reading books with two different time lines, and I will try to add more novels with that kind of concept in my future readings.

We follow two women: Morgan, who is the narrator of the story and her chapters are written in first person.
Then we have Anna who’s story is set in 1940 and is written in third person.
Both stories take place in North Carolina, and of course, are connected.
After I finished my reading I wasn’t sure who’s story I liked better, and then I came to conclusion that Anna’s was more interesting, but with Morgan I connected more.

This book hit the home for me, and not in a good way, because it reminded me of my not-the-happiest childhood. I often caught myself thinking about my own life and my own complicated relationship with my parents, but that is the story for another time…

The writing was very good. It was beautiful and easy to read.

I think it is important to say that this book covers serious topics like alcoholism and racism in a sententious way, and from my perspective, it was not triggering. Still, I can’t speak for others.
However, there is one trigger warning readers should know about: and that’s that this book talks about sexual abuse.

I loved the way the story wrapped up, and the scene at the very end once again hit home for me, but it also warmed my heart.

I really, really enjoyed reading Big Lies in a Small Town and would recommend it to readers who like historical fiction, general fiction and art.

Can it be January so the rest of the world can experience this book?

Big Lies in a Small town follows the dual story lines of Morgan an ex-convict who is tasked with restoring a mural painted and Anna the artist painting that mural. After serving a year for a crime she didn't commit, Morgan is released on parole to restore a mural painted in 1940. All Morgan knows is that the artist "went crazy" before the mural could be installed but nothing else is really known about the mysterious Anna Dale.

This story is both heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time. Diane Chamberlain did an amazing job on both story lines and made both characters truly come to life. The growth Morgan shows throughout this book had me cheering and Anna's story broke my heart. I flew through the 400 pages like it was nothing and I still don't have all my feelings processed. Words can not do this book justice, all I can say is go out and get this book January 14 you will not regret it.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for providing me with an advanced readers copy.

Another winner from Diane Chamberlain! (although not surprising) This novel to me had a darker tone to it than I typically see from her. I enjoyed the departure, and I found myself quickly engrossed in the disappearance of Anna Dale. I love her books that spin in some elements of historical fiction and have a dual timeline, and so it's no surprise that I was not disappointed with her latest!

I loved this book. I generally love all books by this author - they are all good. But this one was really spectacular. She moved effortlessly between 1940 and present day in small town North Carolina - fraught with deep secrets and challenging race relations - and really did well building the mystery and connection between the three main characters: Anna, Jesse and Morgan, as well as this beat up old mural that desperately needed to be restored. It tied together beautifully. She didn't shy away from tragedy and trauma in the storyline and it had it's place in the story. I would read this on my lunch break at work, and each day I had a hard time putting it aside because once it hooked me in, I needed to know what came next...! Once all the pieces come together... just a fantastic read. It's been a little while since I gave anything 5 stars - it was well deserved! I would definitely recommend this to friends. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for honest review.

Scandalously good story! Set in a small town in North Carolina, the story is told in dual timelines. One is set during 1940, the other in 2018. Each timeline follows a young female artist working on projects that could be life-changing for each young woman.

The problem is small towns often have secrets. Add to that the fact that the locals are suspicious of newcomers, expecting them to conform to the mores of the community. Racial tensions also come into play. In the 1940’s, this was a big deal.

Anna Dale, the young artist in the 1940 timeline, arrives in Edenton after winning an art contest. She is expected to paint a mural for the town’s post office. Being from New Jersey, she experiences a bit of culture shock in the small town. Something happens during her time there and she never completes the mural.

Fast forward to 2018 and readers meet Morgan Christopher, a young woman doing jail time for a DUI accident. In a strange twist of events, Morgan is released early with the agreement to restore the mural that was begun in 1940.

Questions abound throughout the story. Why didn’t Anna complete the mural? What happened to her? Why was Morgan chosen to restore the mural? Will she finish it by the deadline required?

I loved finding out all the answers along the way. This was a wonderful story that I found hard to tear myself away from—especially the last portion.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

Edge of the seat thriller that will keep you glued. Written then and now, Anna and Morgan keeps the pace fast flowing.

What an amazing book! I loved every page, every word. This is the first Diane Chamberlain book I’ve read, but it won’t be the last. This book takes a moment in history and turns it into a wonderful, warm, story of a young woman, Anna Dale, who wins a mural contest during the Great Depression. We get to tag along as she leaves home, following her mother’s death and after receiving notification that she’d won the contest. Her hope had been to install a mural at a post office near her New Jersey home, but the Section of Fine Arts, a part of the United States Treasury Department, has determined that her yet to be designed mural will go into the post office in Edenton, North Carolina. It’s a long way from home, and her reception there isn’t always friendly. She gets busy designing her mural and undertaking all the required preliminary steps. She does this with the help of three high school student volunteers. Time will create an unbreakable bond between Anna Dale and one of those students.

Edenton is a small Southern town in the 1940s, and it’s all you might think a town like it might be. Everyone knows everyone else’s business. Men rule the roost. No one is overly pleased that the local artist wasn’t awarded the mural commission, even less so that a Northern woman, one barely out of high school, was.

Something happens, and the mural is never completed or installed. Skip ahead to 2018, where another young woman is paying the price for drunken driving and for causing serious injury to another young woman.. She’s given the chance for early release from prison if she’ll agree to restore a painting. Despite the fact that she was an art student prior to her incarceration, she knows nothing about art restoration. She agrees to take the job only because it gets her out of the terrifying life she’s been living for the past year. She’s on the spot to figure out how to do the work. Lucky for her, she finds help from unlikely sources. Along the way, she learns some things about herself, and about the painting she’s working on and it’s history.

This book is remarkably well written and plotted. There’s not a word that doesn’t belong, and all the story lines are intricately connected. There’s enough history of the mural competition included so you don’t need to rush off to research it. (I’m lucky enough to live in an area with several of these murals. If you haven’t seen any, it’s worth making a trip to do so.) I can’t praise this book enough. I strongly recommend that as soon as this book is published, you rush out and grab a copy. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

I really enjoyed this book! It had me hooked me from the very first scene. I really love this author's books!

This is the 2nd novel I’ve read by Diane Chamberlain. It expertly weaves past and present as we learn of a post-Depression era government-sponsored mural contest, the artist, Anna, selected to paint the mural, and Morgan a present day artist-wannabe who was imprisoned not only by her difficult childhood, but also for a crime she didn’t commit. Told in alternating voice, we are taken on a journey where we follow Anna as she settles into Edenton, NC and tries to find meaning & direction in the mural she must create. Racial tensions, violence, and a patriarchal society are challenges Anna must grapple with. Ultimately Anna’s own secrets serve to imprison her. Where will each woman’s path lead & will they intersect or remain parallel experiences of young artists? Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Slow start but when it picked up it turned into a really good story - although slightly predictable - it was a good read - this author has yet to disappoint

This was my first Diane Chamberlain novel and certainly won’t be my last!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Morgan Christopher is in prison for paralyzing a woman during a car accident that occurred while she was under the influence. At 22 years old, she didn’t graduate art school and with her second DUI under her belt, her future looks grim. But when Lisa Williams approaches her with an odd proposal and a “get out of jail free” card, Morgan commits to restoring an enormous, historic mural (a task far outside her ability and eduction) with a seemingly impossible deadline. Has Morgan bitten off more than she can chew? Will her failure ultimately send her back to prison?

Concurrently, we learn the story of Anna Dale, the original artist of the mural. Set in 1940, we learn of her challenges in creating the mural in a small southern town where her northern ways aren't quite accepted. What happened to Anna and what is the connection to Morgan, who nearly 80 years later has been tasked with restoring the odd and disturbing mural? Can the women somehow “save” each other, even generations apart?

The writing, the story, the characters, the mystery - I loved it all. I have such a vision of this mural in my mind but I would love to see a rendering of it how the author intended! This was a fast and entertaining read with excellent twists though not completely unpredictable. I highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely love Diane Chamberlain and her books never dissapoint.
This had a slightly slower start but as always the characters draw you in as the story starts to grip you.
I appreciated the fact that a huge amount of research must have gone into this book.
Another great read from a truly fabulous author.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this title in return for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Years ago my mom turned me onto Diane Chamberlain books and loved all I have read!! This story was no exception. Wonderfully written and weaving the two times together was very well done.

Richly detailed and thought provoking, makes you think of several issues.

Highly recommended!!!

This book was so good!! It is full of drama and suspense. This story will keep you on the edge of your seat and will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next. Thank you St. Martin"s Press via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Oh the secrets that are hidden . . .for good? Or bad?

This is the story of art major Morgan Christopher in 2018 who is serving time in prison for taking the wrap of her boyfriend, for a crime she didn't do. But for unknown reasons with the help of one of her favorite artists, Jesse Jamison Williams, she is granted parole and can avoid going back to prison, if she can restore a mural - by August 5. But what does this art student know about restoring a mural, and why did Jesse Jamison Williams seek her to do it? And what is her tie to Edenton?

1939 - Anna Dale is awarded the Edenton, NC, post office to create the mural for the '48 State Mural Competition. But Edenton is a long way from her New Jersey home, an a longer way of racial tolerance. But not everyone in Edenton is happy she is there, or that she is the one painting the mural. But is it enough to commit murder?

This was a good read, the first half was kind of slow, but once you hit about 54% the book explodes and I could not put it down. It was a good suspense book, with a little mystery that you may figure out, but it is still good. I will give this book 4 stars, and definitely a book I will recommend to my friends.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced copy, all opinions are my own.

This was an engrossing, satisfying read. Alternating time periods between present day and 1940, the plot follows young artist Anna Dale as she embarks on a mural painting for a small southern town, and Morgan Christopher as she is offered her freedom in exchange for completing the mural lost so many years before. While the reader knows there is some connection between the two, it is an entertaining ride getting to the reveal.

I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley.

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

North Carolina, 2018: Morgan Christopher's life has been derailed. Taking the fall for a crime she did not commit, she finds herself serving a three-year stint in the North Carolina Women's Correctional Center. North Carolina, 1940: Anna Dale, an artist from New Jersey, wins a national contest to paint a mural for the post office in Edenton, North Carolina. The price of being different might just end in murder.

Good story, and the ending conveniently came together (saw it coming a mile away). As with the majority of dual timeline stories, I was more caught up in the older timeline. But, it was an interesting and entertaining story to read. I look forward to reading more books from this author.

3.25☆

Diane Chamberlain's Big Lies in a Small Town is a novel that combines family, heartache, compassion and mystery all rolled into one excellent story. Chamberlain does an excellent job of combining voices from the past and present in such a way that the reader is never lost but only encouraged to read more. The story has a wonderful flow with memorable solid characters. A great read!

This was my first book by Diane Chamberlain and it will not be my last.
I was hooked from the beginning.
This story carries over two timelines 78 years apart. Anna, a young New Jersey artist who won a competition to paint a large mural in a rural southern town, in 1940 and Morgan, a college art major who was sentenced to 3 years in prison for a crime she didn't commit, who was released early on the condition she restore the mural painted by Anna.
With each chapter, one for Anna and one for Morgan, you start to build the history and the connection between the two times. It kept me guessing what happened back in 1940 and what the next clues Morgan would find when restoring the mural in the next chapter.
This book touches on racism, sexism, forgiveness of others and oneself. I became so engrossed in reading this wonderful book that I read it in one sitting and stayed up till the wee hours of the morning to finish. I wanted to know everything about these characters and I was not disappointed in the discovery.
I received an advance reader copy for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This story is told from two different perspectives: Anna Dale in 1940 and Morgan Christopher in 2018. It begins with Morgan, who is in prison, serving time for a crime she did not commit, but to which she confessed to shield her boyfriend. Two women show up one day and offer her parole in exchange for restoring a mural painted by Anna Dale in 1940. Morgan has no experience with restoration, but she has studied art, and she will do most anything to get out of prison, so she accepts the offer.

She arrives in Edenton, North Carolina and immediately realizes the job is one she is totally unqualified to attempt. But a famous painter, one for whom she has great admiration, has died and left instructions that she is to restore the mural. So she begins.

Alternate chapters tell the story of Anna Dale, the artist who originally painted the mural as part of a federal program to provide art for small towns. However, both Anna and the mural disappeared before it was completed and their locations have been a mystery all these years.

I was not sire what the "big lies" are, but the town of Edenton is certainly a "small town", with memories and history that has been forgotten over the years. Morgan is able to uncover some of the history surrounding the mural, and restore some of the memories as well.