My first book by this author. I’m usually not big on historical dictions but this is done so right. It rugs at all of the heart strings.

Big Lies in a Small Town grabs ahold of you from the title, to the first page to the last page.

You get quickly caught up in the story of Anna Dale in the the 1940's who was commisioned to produce a mural for the post office in the small town of Edenton, North Carolina.

In 2018 Morgan Christopher is, under unusual circumstances, given the job in the same town to restore the mural.

You are caught up in the two stories. what happened to Anna Dale and can Morgan delve into the story and secrets behind the mural that have been buried for so many years.

Life in a small town back in the 40's and now in the present is so well done.

I so did not want this book to end and I will be buying my hard copy on publication date.

Put this on the top of your TBR pile !!

Thanks to Net Galley and St. Marin's Press for letting me get lost in Anna and Morgan's world.

3.5 STARS

A slow burn of a mystery set in North Carolina.

Two women- Morgan and Anna

Two timelines-2018 and 1940

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.

The first half of the book was slow going and a bit bogged down in the painting project details (in my opinion). There are plenty of clues that may lead you to solve the big reveal and predict the end as I did.

The last third really picks up the pace and things start happening. The character development is very well done and the conclusion connects all the dots!

Diane Chamberlin knocks it out of the park again! I absolutely loved this novel. A beautiful tale of friendship and kindness in an era where that was very difficult with racial bias. Two amazing people saved each other in so many ways and continued to save others over decades. A beautiful story of love, friendship, and saving people along the way.

I haven't read a Diane Chamberlain book that I haven't liked, this book is no exception to that. Big Lies in a Small Town was beautifully written and easy to immerse myself into. Although the book started a little slow, it built up to a fantastic ending. I enjoyed the way the story was told, going back and forth between Anna in 1940 and Morgan in 2018. The historical side of the story was intriguing and seemed to be well researched. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's press for and ARC of this novel.

Anna Dale wins a contest in the 1940’s to paint a mural that will hang in the post office of a small North Carolina town. Anna is from New Jersey, and she hasn’t experienced Southern life before. She encounters a lot of racism when a young black boy helps her with the project. The town folk start gossiping and some bad things happen. Fast forward years later and the mural is being restored by a young artist named Morgan Christopher. She has some sort of connection to the past, but we don’t know what until the end. An enjoyable read by Chamberlain. Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy!

What are great book! So well written and a very engaging story. I really enjoyed the historical aspect, location and the characters were so well developed, it was just the right amount of info. for each. This was a great novel and I will definitely be reading more by this author!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin press for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.

I have never read a Diane Chamberlain book that I did not enjoy and this book is no exception. From the moment you meet Morgan Christopher, all the way to the conclusion, you will be thoroughly engrossed in this story.

Why is Morgan offered a chance at parole if she is willing to do a restoration of a mural, for an artist she has never met? The mural was undertaken in the 1940s by artist, Anna Dale, who won a national contest to paint a mural for Edenton, South Carolina’s post office. The mural was never completed
and is in poor condition in 2018 when Morgan is commissioned to restore it. The story weaves back and forth between the two artists’ lives, in two very different time periods. The characters are likable and believable. Both artists have experienced traumas in their lives which have an effect on their art.

I like that the book reaches a satisfying conclusion. I look forward to reading the next story Ms. Chamberlain chooses to write.

Diane's works are always masterpieces and this one can added to the list. It was different than what I expected as her typical writing style and topics differ from this one. It started out interesting and then it carried on a bit longer that it needed to in my opinion from the second quarter of the book until the third quarter. Although, a lot of current as well as backstory was cleverly and nicely written giving us the full picture of each of the two main character's lives and thoughts.

She builds the characters so smooth and clearly. Very well, researched, and thought out book to look forward to sitting down and enjoying.

When I started reading Big Lies in a Small Town, I was reminded of how much I love Diane Chamberlain's storytelling, and was inspired to listen to an audiobook of another one of her novels.
In Big Lies in a Small Town, the story begins when Morgan gets a visit from the daughter of a well-known artist, and her attorney. They have a proposition for Morgan. According to the will of the late Jesse Williams, the artist, he wants Morgan to restore a mural from the 1940's that was originally to be installed in a post office in the small town of Edenton, North Carolina, in exchange for a large amount of money and her release from prison. Too good of an offer to pass up, Morgan takes the job and soon realizes she is in over her head, as she doesn't know much about Art restoration.
We also hear the story of Anna Dale, the artist who painted the mural back in the 1940's. The author switches back and forth between Anna and Morgan's stories. As Morgan cleans the mural, she discovers some strange additions to the painting and becomes curious about the mysterious artist who disappeared after finishing the mural.
The story moves along at a good pace, and it kept my interest. I felt a connection with both Morgan and Anna and wanted to know how their stories turned out. I was not disappointed. Big Lies in a Small Town is a fantastic book, and I would highly recommend it. If you are not already a fan of Diane Chamberlain, pick up a copy of one of her books, you will not regret it!

What can I possibly say... there is not a Diane Chamberlain book that I didn’t like ... this is no exception, I loved this book!
The book is two stories in one ,
Anna Dale moves to a small town in 1939 to paint a mural for the post office , part of a government grant, she is met with resentment, distrust, bigotry and small town ways she isn’t used to . However the mural never gets to be hung .

Morgan is doing time in prison for a crime she didn’t commit , she is released on early parole to restore the mural so it can be hung in a gallery .
What happened to the mural, what happened to Anna, what will happen to Morgan ?
This author weaves the past and the present in a way that completely captivates the reader , how can these two stories possibly be connected ?
These two stories held my attention

Big Lies in a Small Town is a nearly flawness novel. Loosely based on actual events, Diane Chamberlain is meticulous in capturing the deep south in the post depression 1940's. Big Lies in a Small Town features characters that are perfectly imperfect-their best strength is a keen awareness of their weaknesses. Like many of her novels, the writing has a dream-like quality, even when describing nightmarish events. Although it starts off a little slow, the pace picks up dramatically at the half way point and never slows down. But Big Lies in a Small Town has one major flaw..and that is the ending. Not all stories need a happy ending, but the finale of Big Lies in a Small Town is much too abrupt and ambiguous for such an otherwise richly detailed book. But I still give it five stars with the sincere hope Ms. Chamberlain has a sequel planned. Her readers-but especially her characters-deserve nothing less.

In 1939 Anna Dale moves to Edenton from New Jersey to paint a mural for the post office after entering a submission in a national arts contest. While living in a southern town is an adjustment for her, and she refuses to bend on some of her stances, she gradually becomes a part of the community. But before the mural is finished something happens and Anna disappears. Then in 2018 Morgan Christopher is given a second chance at life after a crime she didn't commit landed her in jail. The catch? She has to restore Anna's mural in less than two months time for an artist, Jesse Jameson Williams, that she adores. The story of the two women is interwoven as they make a place for themselves in the community, find friends, battle demons and are increasingly obsessed with the completion of the mural. Chamberlain does a great job of mixing the two stories and still making it seem cohesive, having twists that I should have seen coming but wasn't thinking about because I was so drawn into the story, and making you feel badly for both Anna and Morgan for the challenges they unfairly faced. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn't wait to find out the ending!

I am so grateful to the publisher and author for the chance to read this book. I enjoyed it so much more than I expected, and had a hard time putting the book down.

The main story revolves around Morgan and her rebuilding her life. While that was interesting - her wanting to recover from her wrongs, making the decisions she did, and taking on this huge challenge that she was not prepared for, that story isn't what drew me in. Neither was the story of Anna and her life and challenges, her life choices and her art. What drew me in was the back story with Morgan, how she dealt with her parents alcoholism, and facing the fact that she too had a problem with alcohol. I grew up with alcoholic parents, and their choices had so many effects to my life, even 30 + years later, and there are so many misrepresentations or just so few stories of alcohol effects to the family, when I find one that rings true, I just get very emotional. That story line added so, so, so much to this story for me and really drew me in.

I have no problems rating this a 4.5 stars. The ending was a bit predictable and expected and I had hoped for a bit of a different ending. But really that didn't take away too much for me. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know, maybe even buying a few as gifts when it is released. Really enjoyed the book, and the art references brought to mind some of Fiona Davis's books, which I also really, really enjoyed.

I don't recall ever reading a book by Diane Chamberlain. Thank you NetGalley & St Martin's Press for an e-ARC of this book. 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.

I don't know about you guys, but I am such a mood reader. Lately, I've been craving historical fiction, and I was thrilled when I was approved for this ARC of Diane Chamberlain's upcoming January release, Big Lies in a Small Town. And let me tell you all, it did not disappoint! 🙌⁣
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This book has alternating narratives and timelines, which I really loved for this story.  First, we follow Morgan Christopher, an artist, whose life is not at all going as planned.  When we meet her, it's 2018, and she's serving time in a correctional center.  She's just had an interesting offer, however:  she will be allowed to leave, serving her minimum sentence of 1 year, IF she will agree to restore an old post office mural.  Of course, she readily agrees and gets to work.  As she cleans the mural, readying it for restoration, she uncovers one unsettling mystery after another in the image before her, and she is determined to shift through clues and delve into the past to learn the true history of the painting and its artist, Anna Dale. ⁣
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The second narrative is of Anna Dale.  It's 1939, and Anna has just won a national competition to paint a mural for a post office in Edenton, North Carolina. As she journeys to the small southern town from her home in New Jersey, she is surprised by what she encounters - secrets and prejudices.  She stands her ground and holds firm to her beliefs, but she soon learns that doing so may come at a great cost.⁣
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I was fully invested in this wonderful book. I loved all the parallels between both main characters, 80 years apart.  And as someone who has always wished to have artistic talent, I found the subjects of painting and restoration so interesting. I did find it a tad bit predictable, but as engaging as the story was, I still thoroughly enjoyed it and was sad to see it end.  This was a ⭐⭐⭐⭐ read for me.⁣
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I loved this book! I've read others by Diane Chamberlain that I enjoyed, but this is my favorite. Alternating between the story of a young woman released from prison for the purpose of restoring and old mural and the story of the artist who created the mural, this is really the story of secrets and lies (like the title!). Both scenarios are equally intriguing and both young women are equally engaging and sympathetic. Although I figured out the "biggest" secret before it was revealed, there were plenty of twists and turns in the plot that kept me guessing and ilicited a gasp or two as I read. In addition, I learned a bit about the government sponsored mural project in the 1930s and about art restoration, and that was interesting too. In my opinion, the author has stepped up her game with this book.

Diane Chamberlain has an incredible ability to write a believable and enthralling storyline with interesting and memorable characters and this novel is no exception. Once I began reading, I simply could not stop. I needed to know what had happened in this small racially divided town in 1940, when a female artist was awarded the opportunity to paint the town mural and why whatever tragic events had occurred were covered up.

Years later an artist with a troubled past is specifically selected and tasked with restoring the mural even though she doesn’t have the skill set necessary to complete the job. The author slowly provides the answers and what the reader learns is that this novel is about redemption, new beginnings and the chance to begin again.

I’ll admit that I am a fan of Diane Chamberlain. Even so, this particular novel is one that I have continued to ponder and think about and I will be selecting it for my next book club.

I received an advance copy of this novel; all opinions are my own.

Loved, loved, loved this book! Chamberlain hits it out of the park again with a fascinating story that you will leave you wanting more.

Big Lies in a Small Town
Diane Chamberlain
January 14, 2020


Two women, seventy years apart share a life of painting, pain, and loneliness. Miss Anna Dale applies for an appointment to paint a mural through a program with the United States Treasury in 1939. To her surprise she is chosen and asked to head to the small town of Edenton, North Carolina to paint a mural on the wall of the local United States Post Office. Her sketches were approved and she needs to begin the project with completion on June 3, 1940. She arrived in Edenton in her mother’s old Ford V8 ready to settle in on Queen St at the Hotel Joseph Hewes.
A journey through time finds Morgan Christopher incarcerated for driving under the influence a year before. She had plans, real plans to attend art school. All that ended at her expense despite her boyfriend’s untruthful statement.
These two women were talented artists. They also had great passion for a famous African-American painter, Jesse Jameson Williams. Upon his passing, he stated in his will that Morgan Christopher was to be absolved of her crime. She was to then move in with his sister, Lisa in Edmonton. He wanted Morgan to finish the mural that Anna had begun years before.
This story is an excellent study of these two women, their lives, the struggle of history then and now. I found it fascinating reading and encourage readers to slot it into their ‘to be read’ list. I’ll not go to far into the plot as readers need to discover this story on their own. Such excellent writing by Diane Chamberlain. This is my first read of hers and it will not be my last.
Big Lies in a Small Town will be published on January 14, 2020 by St. Martin’s Publishing Group. Do enjoy this one!