The year is 2018 and Morgan Christopher is an artist, and is incarcerated in the women's prison at Raleigh, NC at the beginning of the book.

Lisa Williams is a real estate agent in Edenton, NC, and is the daughter of famed and recently-deceased artist Jesse Jameson Williams.

Lisa, a stranger to Morgan, visits Morgan in prison to tell her that Lisa's father Jesse Williams wanted her, Morgan, to restore a seventy-eight year old mural to be installed in his new gallery in Edenton. The mural holds secrets, but is in decrepit shape, and Morgan is facing an almost impossible task and has just a few short months to learn how to restore murals and restore this one, as requested in Jesse William's will. Morgan's success will guarantee her freedom from prison for a crime she didn't commit.

The mural was originally painted by Anna Dale in 1940. Anna lived in New Jersey, and won a contest to paint a mural for the post office in Edenton, North Carolina. Anna gladly takes on the task of creating the mural in this small town. Things go smoothly at first, but start to go horribly wrong in time.

As the story progresses, parallels between Anna Dale and Morgan Christopher start to form, but Morgan still has questions as to why she, a mere unknown art student, was chosen, apparently at random, to restore the old mural of her idol, Jesse Williams.

There are more surprises, twists and turns than can be expected, but all the loose ends are neatly tied up in this well-written and expertly-populated novel, with a surprise ending that will have you thinking about this story long after you've read the last sentence.

This book reminds me why I love Diane Chamberlin! This book was perfect, the setting, the characters and the story. I loved the two story lines between Morgan and Anna. However, I did feel like the ending left me seriously hanging and now I want to know what happens next! My only other issue is I get annoyed with books that seem to have a behind the scenes hidden political agenda and I got that with all the racism and Obama talk-just a little off outing for me! I read to escape all of that, wether I agree or not I just don’t want to read it!

Anna and Morgan never meet but their lives are forever intertwined. Anna is an artist in 1939, who was chosen to paint a mural on the post office in a small town in North Carolina. She must relocate from New Jersey to develop and create the mural. Fast forward to 2018, Morgan, a young art student who’s life took a wrong turn. She is in jail when she receives the chance to be released early as long as she restores a mural in 3 months. The trouble is she does know anything about restoration. Morgan accepts the deal and plans to learn everything she can and do what needs to be done to meet the deadline. This story grabs you and makes is very hard to put down. Anna and Morgan reveal a little more of their stories with each chapter and you can’t wait to keep reading to find out more. You will not be disappointed with this book!!!

I love when a novel from a writer unknown to me falls into my hands. The surprise of Diane Chamberlain's tale about the mystery behind a 40's era mural has a young woman yearning for redemption striving to meet a seemingly impossible deadline. Local Edenton artist Jesse Williams left strict instructions at his death for his daughter, Lisa, to oversee opening an art gallery honoring his work as well as that of fellow artists. Strings are attached which leave her inheritance at risk but were designed by Jesse to help yet another young person, as was his wont throughout his illustrious career. Enter Morgan Christopher, a young art student imprisoned for a traffic accident she did not cause but for which she feels overwhelmingly responsible. Morgan must restore an old mural by a certain date so the gallery can open on time and save Lisa's family home. Morgan is released from prison and plunges into the pressure of the task with zero knowledge about how to proceed. With the help of the curator, she not only learns how to restore the mural but to love the work. As she uncovers and investigates the secrets behind the mural, Morgan begins to see the possibility of a new chance for herself, including the redemption that has always seemed out of her grasp.

Unable to load this book tried many times for week. Don’t want to say anything bad about it, so will just inform of technical issue. Netgalley support said it couldn’t be taken off my list.

I couldn’t put this book down. I love the way the book went back and forth between the two main characters. The suspense of what happened to one of the characters kept me riveted. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to netgalley for an ARC of this book.
Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain was a great read. It takes a little time to get into the story but my interest and curiosity built steadily once I did. I loved how it all tied together in the end

Anna Dale is a young artist who has won an art contest to decorate the walls of post offices with murals across the US. While not winning the rights in her local area, she journeys to Edenton, NC to represent their local history in her mural. But Edenton is much different than New Jersey, and Anna finds herself at odds with some members of the community. As her work progresses and she encourages some young artists to join her, she is unprepared for the backlash of her actions. Then the unthinkable happens, causing Anna to sink into manic depression, and her mural suffers the effects of her madness, until the day when her canvas is ripped from its framework and the artwork - and Anna - disappear.
Several generations pass. Morgan Christopher was headed toward a career as an artist until taking the fall for a tragic accident and serving time in prison. One day she is approached by a woman representing a local soon-to-open art gallery. This woman makes Morgan an almost impossible offer: if Morgan can restore a large canvas in an impossibly short period of time so the art gallery can open on time, she can get out of prison and her sentence commuted.
When Morgan sees the subject matter and the condition of the canvas, she knows her work is cut out for her. As Morgan researches the history of the canvas and its gruesome and strange images, she learns more about the social mores of earlier times and what happened to Anna Dale.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

What a crazy book! I could not believe the ending. So many bad choices led from one thing to another. I read this book so quickly - it was that good. Diane Chamberlain has another hit on her hands!

Diane Chamberlain weaves a wonderful tale set in both Edenton, N.C. in 1940 and 2018. The author skillfully delights us with a work of historical fiction. Halfway through the novel and then again at the end she throws in a twist you never see coming. We meet wonderful characters, so rich in personality and so real. Racial prejudices so prevalent in the south at this time are involved, but it is so wonderful to see so many who don’t care about the color of one’s skin. I would rate this book 5 star; I couldn’t put it down.

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.

North Carolina, 2018 Morgan Christopher was an art student who made a bad judgement call and ended up serving time in a women's correctional center for a crime she did not commit. Then one day she is visited by two women who tell her that she will be released from prison if she agrees to restore an old post office mural. She knows nothing about restoration but desperate to have freedom, she agrees.

North Carolina, 1940 Anna Dale has won an art contest and is chosen to paint a mural for a post office in Edenton, North Carolina. She happily accepts and considers this to be an honor and a challenge. Little does she know, but there are those who don't want a woman painting the mural, nor do they like the company she keeps while painting. Prejudice and false assumptions run rampant.

The two women's stories blend perfectly together. Usually when there are two timelines, I tend to prefer one over the other, but I loved both in this book. Both women were likable, both characters had me rooting for them. I watched Anna as she tried to complete her mural and I watched Morgan as she restored a mural which had been hidden away for years.

I was fully invested in this story and loved the journey of finding out how the book would end. This book was beautifully written and had me on the edge of my seat, not with heart pounding suspense, but with a captivating and enthralling story that I didn't want to stop reading. I could literally feel the characters emotions while reading. Chamberlain did a great job of transporting me back to 1940 in the South. There are some heavy issues dealt with in this book and she handles them with care and sill. I love how she carefully guided the reader between the two stories telling the tale of mystery, romance, love, family ties, family secrets, art, music, pain, secrets, and prejudice. There a couple of little twists and turns along the way and all felt believable and made sense.

Riveting heartfelt, thought provoking story telling. This is a MUST read! Highly recommend.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Diane Chamberlain has recently become one of my favorite authors. Big Lies in a Small Town was very good, I did not want to put it down once I started it, The storyline was interesting and I loved the characters. The ending was awesome, all questions were answered Thank you Diane for anther great book!

Thanks Netgalley for this ARC. Another fantastic book from Diane Chamberlain. She never disappoints. I love her characters.

This author definitely knows how to write a riveting heartfelt story. She makes the characters so real I can imagine meeting them and interacting with them. I was so intrigued by the Anna Dale character who did not care about the social conventions of the time. I I really loved Morgan as a character because she found redemption and love. I also love the way the story was told alternating between Anna and Morgans point of view. It allowed the reader to slowly put together what was happening with the mural and why it was being restored. I would definitely recommend this wonderful story: it was heartfelt and had a great mystery that was solved in the end quite satisfying. Diane Chamberlain hit it out of the park again!!!

I have to say that I enjoyed this simple pleasure read thoroughly. It was a smidgen predictable with a gasp moment but even with the predictability , I really did enjoy it. I never push myself through a read if I myself not flowing with it, Isn’t that what reading is about? Getting lost and flowing with the story whatever it may be?
I have read other Diane Chamberlains books and this didn’t disappoint. Thank You for the complimentary opportunity. .

I love Diane Chamberlain's books. This one started out a bit slow in my opinion. But the subject was intriguing so I kept reading. Once I got in to it , I could not put it down. I kept thinking it was going to be predictable and that I had figured out the connection between the characters. I am happy to say that I got it wrong. It had a real twist at the end. Read this book. You won't be disappointed.

This was my first Diane Chamberlain book, after hearing so much about her novels. I really enjoyed this- it was predictable, but so what!? The story kept me interested and wanting to know more, and I found aspects of the book to be incredibly poignant. I'd definitely recommend! Thank you for the advance copy!

What an amazing story!! WOW!!
It's very intriguing from the start!! As the storyline grows the mystery runs deeper and you become hooked you can't turn away or stop reading!! Everything starts connecting together the mystery starts to reveal itself and it will leave you speechless and blown away!!! I was definitely intrigued and had a book hangover at the end.. I wanted more.. I was ready to start reading it all over again just so i could savor the story and the characters longer!!!!

NO SPOILERS....only descriptive teasers...

Diane Chamberlain knows what a good story is about. She continues to arrive at new levels of power which each of her novels being more impressive than the one before.
A very loved novelist by readers all around the world....I, too, became an instant giddy fan in 2014, when I read “Necessary Lies”. The story itself was a punch-in-the-gut explosive historical awakening.
Having now read about a half dozen more of her novels....what stands out for me is Diane Chamberlain’s humanity. It’s irresistible.

In “Big Lies in a Small Town”, we follow a duo timeline. Both timeline stories are equally good.

We first meet Morgan Christopher in a Correctional Facility for Women in 2018, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Morgan had just finished her one year minimum prison sentence....when ‘surprise’....two visitors entered.
1-Lisa Williams, ( the daughter of the well known artist:Jesse Jameson Williams ....who recently died.
Lisa Williams was a real estate broker. She had no experience with ‘art’......but given she was her father’s only child, he trusted his very specific instructions to her.....[written in his will].
Lisa’s father, Jesse Jameson, wanted a 70-year-old canvas mural to be restored by the inexperienced- 22 year old Morgan ( who was sitting in prison for a crime she didn’t commit)...
and......
2- Andrea Fuller ( an attorney).....who came along with Lisa to over see the legalities.

Morgan gets a ‘get-out-of-jail’ free card in exchange for restoring the mural.
Morgan had reservations about her own qualifications....but she said ‘yes’.
Lisa brings Morgan to live in her house for the time needed until the project is done.
On the drive from the prison to Lisa’s house with Morgan in the passenger seat:
“This is the new Morgan, I thought sadly to myself. The Morgan afraid at the outside world”.
“We’d ridden ten minutes in silence before Lisa finally spoke”.
“The Government never fully paid the artist—Anna Dale— for the mural, so after she went crazy— or whatever happened— it essentially became my father’s property to do with as he pleased, she said. But since the gallery is a gift to the community, your work on the mural becomes a sort of community service. She glanced at me, and the smallest of smile’s lifted the corners of her lips”.

Anna Dale went crazy?

Anna Dale was born in 1918.
In 1939, she was living in Plainfield, New Jersey.
Anna entered a competition with a mural she did in her hometown.
In Edenton, North Carolina,
‘The Selection of Fine Arts’ was impressed with Anna Dale’s artistic talent. They wanted her to work on an assignment- a mural - for the post office in Edenton, North Carolina.

Anna had never been to North Carolina. It was suggested that she familiarize herself with the geographic area surrounding her assignment .
She had never expected to win the competition and the timing could not have been worse. She had just buried her mother who was her best friend.
However....off Anna goes... driving from New Jersey to North Carolina.
It was the inner thoughts during that first drive to Edenton where we begin to know Anna and the concerns that weigh heavily on her mind.
Without the feelings-of-strength from mother- her mother’s advice- we see just how deeply Anna feels: ALONE!
We also learn background about Anna’s mother.

The south seemed backward to Anna with the segregation. “They actually lynched Negros in the south”.

Anna was interested in painting the Tea Party ... but when she met several of the locals ( all men who looked at her as a pretty little thing- and why wasn’t she married).....
Mr. Fiering, Manager at the Cotton mill replied:
“Oh, not that tired old Tea Party again”
Anna was shaken by the sudden outburst and she thought the Tea Party was something that Edenton was proud of.
Mayor Sykes jumped in and said,
“We’re very proud that our ladies stood up for freedom”....
but.....
because it was such a long time ago the locals were vocal about how tired they were to be reminded.
The towns-people argued back-and-forth - each wanting ‘their’ business’ to be the focus on the mural.....
be it the cotton mill or the peanut factory or their melons, or fishing ....almost anything other than woman’s fight for freedom.

The mayor’s cousin - Martin Drapple- was a well known local artist.
The locals were resentful that he wasn’t chosen to paint the mural.

As the reader....we begin to see that problems fall ahead- problems that Morgan will face in 2018, and the problems Anna had to contend with in 1939.

You know that old saying that whatever you don’t complete comes back to haunt you? Well...history comes back to haunt in Edenton, North Carolina.

Since it was going to take several months before the mural would be complete, the townsmen suggested Anna stay in town instead of going back to New Jersey.
Myrtle Simms, a widow, lived across the street from the railroad building... and could host Anna for the few months while she worked.

Every character in this book - big or small - primary or supportive- are well developed.

Anna ‘had’ painted ‘The Tea Party’.... (sorta)..... she added her unique interpretation of the subject....
Her paining was controversial...
The locals thought it was ‘sick’. All Anna did was paint the truth as she saw it.

When Morgan discovers the 70-year-old canvas for the first time....
he knew there was a story there.
It looked like a “hacker snatched it from the stretcher”.
The old canvas was damaged and reeked of mold and mildew. Morgan had two months to restore it.

My lips are sealed..... I say no more!!

Other than this is a wonderfully satisfying story... the pages turn themselves.

Troubled women....
Troubled times....
A villain....
And hero’s....
A passionate town....
Twists & turns....
History to contemplate ...the real mural competition during the Great Depression
Themes: racism, mental illness, injustice, poverty, righteousness, secrets....and.....
as the title suggests: BIG LIES.....in a small town.

WONDERFUL!!!

Thank You Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press,
and the gracious talented storyteller, Diane Chamberlain

I received a complimentary copy of Big Lies in a Small Town from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Diane Chamberlain does not disappoint! A slow reveal of secrets and twists demonstrate this author's signature technique. That haunted painting will remain vividly in my mind! Big Lies is a novel to remember...another example of why this is one of my favorite authors.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.