Round up to 4.5. Morgan Christopher is in jail for a crime she didn't commit when she is approached by a stranger with an appealing proposition: be released from prison immediately in exchange for restoring an old mural needed for an art gallery opening in a few short months.

Although Morgan dreams of a career in art, she knows nothing about art restoration. The promise of leaving prison is too appealing to turn down though, so she accepts and takes on the challenge. She still has questions as to how she was chosen for such a daunting task but decides to focus on her freedom and how her new life will look.

We are transported from 2018 to 1940, as we hear of how the mural was originally created by Anna Dale. Since the discovery of the state the mural is in when it is unveiled to Morgan is quite appalling, reading Anna's story is especially intriguing as we work to figure out what exactly happened. The mural was created to be hung in the local post office of Edenton, but was never released to the public. Why? What happened all those years ago, and why does the mural look the way it does?

This story grabs your attention, focusing not only on the mystery of the mural but also on the lives and decisions made by both Morgan in 2018 and Anna in 1940. Can our lives continue once we have made horrible mistakes?

Thank you to Net Galley for the advance reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have come to love Diane Chamberlain in the past few months and her new book is great. One point of view is from a young a woman is released from jail to restore a mural, yet she has no experience doing this and no idea why she was chosen. The other is from the 1940s where another young woman wins a national competition to paint a mural in an unknown southern town. You find yourself rooting for both characters and this was a quick, enjoyable read.

This is likely my favorite of Diane Chamberlain’s books. It was so well written and researched. I know nothing about art but it made me feel like I did. The storyline in both eras was griping. And I didn’t see the ending coming. Pieces of the puzzle I put together but not the ending. I could see this as a great movie and the graphics would be amazing.

This was a fantastic book! I loved it and I am grateful that I was given a chance to read it early by netgalley. Told in alternating times lines this is the story of Morgan, an art student who has been in jail due to her involvement in a horrific accident and Anna who is working on a mural in a small town in Carolina in the 1940's. They are both dealing with some intense situations and this author does a beautiful job weaving their stories together and an interesting way. Well written, I was pulled in from the start and found myself drawn to both of these women and their complex stories. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Diane Chamberlain is an amazing writer. I loved how she went from Anna's story to back to the present with Morgan. She keeps you wondering what will happen next! There was never a dull moment in this story and the words flowed making it a great read! This is a book I would definitely be recommending!! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of “Big Lies in a Small Town”, by Author Diane Chamberlain, for my honest opinion and review

The historical storyline combines two entwining stories of different woman in the 1940’s and 1980’s in small town North Carolina.

This to me was an interesting and intriguing story involving art restoration, small town views, and secrets

Although I liked the writing, and story I did find it quite slow moving. I would still recommend it, and will seek out more books by the author to read

Thank You

This book starts out with a women in prison who is paroled by another women who's deceased fathers will stipulates that she will get out if she restores a mural for his art gallery. And it has to be done by a certain date. As the book moves on we learn why she was in prison and that she is an artist( not a very good one) and does not know how to restore. There is a man getting the gallery ready that helps her with the restore. As she starts to work on the mural the book goes back to the past and tells us about the women artist who originally painted it.
The 2 different women's stories are both tragic and I became very interested and intrigued in finding out what happens to them.
This book was kind of a historical fiction and a mystery. I couldn't put this book down. I loved the writing style of this author. She really makes you feel for the characters and got me invested and interested in the book from the beginning. And the ending is a very nice surprise. Loved this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. 
Big Lies in a Small Town is a mystery spanning the lives of Anna in 1939 and Morgan in 2018.  The parallels between the two characters were obvious but well executed.  Excellent character development.  Anna and Morgan lives align in unique ways.
Unfortunately, the book sort of fell apart around 50%. The descriptions and conversation became juvenile. 
However, my biggest pet peeve about this book were the newspaper articles that were the sources of the relevations.  I really hope that isn't how articles were written in the 40s, because, ew.
Three/3.5 stars because the ending was rushed and unsatisfactory.

I very much enjoyed the back-and-forth between the 2 main character's points of view. Learning a bit about Anna and then a bit about Morgan was the best way to read this book. The ending even had a surprise twist that I didn't see coming at all! I even got to learn a bit about art restoration. A great book overall.

Morgan has never done restoration on a mural before. If it gets her out of prison she will definitely give it a try. As she works on the huge mural she discovers odd items painted into it. It's supposed to be about a town's history. How does a bloody knife, an Indian motorcycle and a skull fit in? Little does Morgan know that she is not only discovering the history of a town but also the story of the original artist. She finds that there is more to life than coincidences.
Wonderful read. Great format, Awesome characters.

Big Lies in a Small Town is typical Diane Chamberlain; the kind of typical you always want from her.
Morgan is serving time because of a drunk driving accident that left a young woman injured. But, surprisingly, she finds herself out after serving her minimum sentence. There is a caveat: she is being released to do work on an old mural as part of her parole. The mural is old and nasty, but she must restore it before the gallery opens in just a few short months. Morgan must learn painting restoration while she is entranced by the story of the artists Anna Dale who apparently went crazy and disappeared.
As usual, the author gives readers a story they can take to their hearts. The female protagonist is quickly accepted and loved and you just want to see happiness with in their tragedies. Morgan is no exception. Big Lies is a double whammy; you latch onto to Anna Dale as well as the book switches between present and past. Your heart is doubly torn apart as both women share center stage with no animosity.
Chamberlain is queen of emotional twists. While I called one, I did not see the other coming and that delights me. While the author may do something as expected, she always has at least one present for the reader. A present that moves you and causes you to see the characters in a different light.
There are a few small issues. The townsfolks claim not to know what happened to Anan Dale as if she just disappeared but there is no way the historians of the town missed the articles of the events that caused her disappearance. No one would have just said that was just her going crazy. The second issue is my own. The book ends and I needed to know what happened to Morgan. Chamberlain implies with this ending that it doesn't matter, but it does to me. I have come to love Morgan and I just needed to know what happened.
Big Lies returns to the more traditional set up of Chamberlain (that's not to say The Dream Daughter wasn't amazing; it was, in fact, superb). This novel is women's fiction at its height looking into the things women's face and how we have to deal with them.

Two women- Morgan and Anna

Two timelines-2018 and 1940

I story that will leave you guesses at every turn of the page.

I was captivated by this book within the first few pages. following the trials and triumphs of these two women in two different timelines was extraordinary.

Both women are fighting their own personal demons adn it leaves you wanting more to ask for more. I kept wanting to know more about each woman and found myself rooting for them.

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.

As you read clues and hints are given as to the big ending but whether or not you catch them is entirely up to you.

Overall a very good book that will keep you turning the page.

Diane Chamberlain doesn't disappoint! Big Lies in a Small Town is another great read that you can't put down. Chamberlain introduces us to Anna Dale, an artist from New Jersey, that is chosen to paint a mural in Edenton, North Carolina post office in 1940. At the same time, Chamberlain also introduces us to the present time (2018) and to Morgan Christopher, a young woman incarcerated for hurting a girl while drunk driving. The story goes back and forth between the two women and the story unfolds. You find similarities between the two and learn the interesting history of Edenton. Chamberlain's writing flows easily between the 1940's and current time. Time periods are easy to follow as are the chapter narrators. The ending is so great and the story comes full circle. I love how Chamberlain wraps up the story with a beautiful bow and actually leaves you want the story to continue on! I would definitely recommend this to others, as all of Diane Chamberlain's other novels. Special thanks to St Martin's Press, Diane Chamberlain, and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley

I am a huge Diane Chamberlain fan; have been reading her books for years and anxiously await every new one she writes. I know I am going to be engrossed and invested from first page to last. BIG LIES IN A SMALL TOWN did not disappoint. It was a slow starter for me but once I felt like I knew Anna and Morgan I couldn't read fast enough. At times it was Anna's story I was most interested in at other times it was Morgan's.

This is a novel of two strong but troubled women living 70 years apart. Their story connects with each other and with the reader. They work on the same mural which contains a mystery about what actually happened to Anna.

All the characters in this book like in all of Ms. Chamberlain's books are well drawn. Ms. Chamberlain also brings her locales to life. Still one of my favorite readers and anyone who does not pick up her books is truly missing out on a great experience

I always love a good Diane Chamberlain read and this one did not disappoint. The story follows the story of two artists who face some difficulties. The story has some mysteries that are slowly revealed and ultimately resolved for the ultimate ending to these artists journey.

Four stars from me for Big Lies in a Small Town! I read this book because I loved Diane’s book – The Dream Daughter. One of the reasons I loved Big Lies in a Small Town is because it kept the dual storyline approach (one in present day, and one in the 1940s). In the first storyline, Morgan Christopher has been released from jail where she was held on a DUI to restore a mural to fulfill the will of an artist she loves who has passed – she has no idea why she was chosen, and she has no idea what the mural even shows. In the second storyline, we follow the artist, Anna Dale, who comes to Edenton, North Carolina to paint this mural as part of a government campaign after the Great Depression.

This is one of those stories where I found myself excited to revisit each story in the double storyline. Both stories had element of tragedy and hope, and by the time I approached the end of the book, I just had to know what was going on with each storyline. I couldn’t put it down!

I loved this book and have been a long time fan of Diane Chamberlain's. Her writing style is so detailed and sucks you right in every time! I loved how this book went back and forth between the past and present and the story got more deep as it progressed. I will recommend this book to our book club and friends for sure. Another winner for Diane!

Amazing. Fascinating. Heartfelt. The story of Anna years ago and Morgan present day are intertwined with Morgan restoring a mural once painted by Anna with some very odd elements discovered in the painting. Why were these disturbing things there in an otherwise representational mural of a small town? Why did Anna seem to fall off the face of re earth? Why was Morgan chosen for the restoration? Those are just a few of the elements making this a memorable read the relationships of the characters and the social climate add more layers. One fabulous book
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this arc.

Ok, it was very hard for me to get into this book. It didn't lure me in like most thrillers. I'd like to say I completed this book, however I did not.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2883187420

This story is told between 2 different time periods - 2018 & 1940.

2018 is the story of Morgan. Morgan starts out in jail for a crime she was part of but did not commit.

1940 is the story of Anna. Anna is an artist chosen to paint the mural for Edenton, NC post office.

Morgan, while in jail, is made an offer to restore the mural by Anna in exchange for time served. Morgan becomes infatuated with learning everything she can about Anna. Eventually the two stories intersect.

I thought the story was a little too long but very well told but hey, it's Diane Chamberlain, the master story teller.