A wonderful story that begins with the early release of Morgan from prison with the agreement that she uses her art skills to restore and finish a 1920’s mural. The mural was commissioned for the Post Office of the small North Carolina town of Edenton. Morgan becomes intrigued with the history of the artist and gets involved with all the special people of the town. The story weaves back and forth between Anna Dale and Morgan and a mystery surfaces. Morgan is determined to solve the mystery. Does she? Read to find out.

This is a fine creation that begs for another book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had never read any of Diane Chamberlain’s books before but look forward to doing so now. The publishing date is 14 Jan 2020 so put on your must read list.

I have voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to do so.

#BigLiesinaSmallTown#NetGalley

This book was wonderful! I read it in a day, just could not put it down. The two stories, one from 1940 and 2018, are woven together so well. I loved all the characters and even shed a tear or two. I wanted to reach out and hug both of the main characters. I would highly recommend this book to anyone!

Death of a noted artist. Young, troubled girl obsessed with art. A WPA artist who disapppeared. Each of these fascinating characters intersect over a mural for a post office is Edenton, NC. Alternating stories and timelines is a hallmark of a Diane Chamberlain novel, and this one shows her master touch. The mystery unravels slowly and keeps you entranced. A new Chamberlain novel is always a highlight for me. Read this and you will not be disappointed!

This is one of those books that I made myself stop reading because I didn’t want it to end. I like all of Diane Chamberlain’s books, but this is my favorite. I’m so impressed with the amount of research that must have been done to make the subjects of the book so realistic and to make the characters so believable. I loved both Anna and Morgan, and hated Draper, who is evil. It's one of my favorite books this year-five stars!!

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain drew me in from the first page and didn't let go until I finished the last page. A beautifully written novel it discusses poverty, racism, mental illness and the secrets people hide...both from themselves and others.

Told on one hand from the perspective of an artist, Anna Dale, who was a young girl who won a mural contest in the 1940s to paint a mural in the post office in Edenton, NC. Being from NJ, she didn't know the ways of the South at that time and struggled to fit into her new, temporary community, especially when she befriended a young, black artist.

The second POV is from Morgan Christopher, a young NC woman who has been wrongly imprisoned for a DUI which severely injured a young woman. When she is released to restore the mural created by Anna, which had disappeared mysteriously and never been hung in the post office, she was confused. Although she had been a Fine Arts student in college, she never finished her degree and had no knowledge of art restoration. With only eight weeks to restore the enormous mural, will she be able to finish in time for the opening of the new museum where it will be the featured piece?

Through all of this, Anna Dale's story comes to life for the young girl and it is a dark, sad story. With the help of her new friends at the museum, Morgan tries to come to grips with her past, her future and how it all ties in with Anna and her life. A fantastic book! Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I read a few books by this author and every one seemed to be the best at that time. Once again, I absolutely loved this current book and the intriguing storyline-with the alternating time period- centering around two artists with a troubled past. From start to finish you cannot help but become invested in these women’s lives.
Highly Recommended!

All about the Mural

A young art student Morgan was at a party with her boyfriend Trey. Morgan and Trey had both been drinking, but Morgan gave her keys to Trey and he drove. A horrible accident happened and they T boned a car. Trey ran and Morgan let the police think she was driving. The girl in the other car was paralyzed from the waist down and Morgan was sent to prison for a minimum of one year and a maximum of ten years. At the end of her one year a lady named Lisa Williams and her lawyer came with a proposal for Morgan. If Morgan would restore a painted Mural for her late father's gallery she would be given her freedom and fifty thousand dollars. Morgan took the deal and was released to Lisa.

The story begins here. It goes between Morgan restoring the painting and Anna the original artist actually painting it in 1940
Morgan struggles with her challenges while researching the Artist Anna. The painting is a painting of Edenton a small town and was to be hung in the post office.

Morgan notices small oddities in the painting such as a skull in a window, a knife in a ladies mouth, a bloody ax , a hammer, a broken teapot, and an iris in the artist's signature.. The reason for these odd items is the story of Anna and the horrible things that happened to her. Morgan's story is of a young lady trying to find herself, trusting in people, staying sober and falling in love with the art gallery curator Oliver.

I loved the stories in this book, how they were separated, how they became part of the larger story and the ending was wonderful. I would definitely recommend this book, it was very good.

Thanks go to the publisher, the author and Net galley for allowing me to read an advance copy of the book.

Art restoration and a bit of art history makes this a gentle read. The characters in each time period were well developed and consistent. Getting the present day artist out of prison was a nice touch that added interest and complexity to her character. Techniques of restoration were revealed without being about teaching the reader technique. The past day artist was not as interesting as the present day one. She was a sorrowful female figure who evoked sympathy throughout most of the book. I do think ther are many readers who would disagree about Anna being sympathetic.

I enjoyed this novel very much. The characters were extremely well drawn and sympathetic, and the story line was seamless. Highly reccomend this excellent book.

Thanks, NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this awesome story. It's my first novel by Diane Chamberlain and must say will not be my last!

The story takes place in 2018 with a young woman Morgan Christopher, who is serving time for a crime that she did not commit, I know everyone says that! She is given the opportunity for an early released with parole if she agrees to restore an old post office mural in a sleepy southern town. There are a few problems with this request mainly she knows nothing about restoration or conservation of oil painting.

1940: Anna Dale, an artist from New Jersey, wins a national contest to paint a mural for the post office in Edenton, North Carolina. Anna finds herself immersed in the town drama where secrets are kept and prejudices run deep.

This story reminds me of something you will see on Ancestry or who do you think you are, so many secrets, so many twists and turns not only about who we are, what's happened to us during racial segregation, but also mystery surrounding this mural, the painter, the artist?

I would love to see this story turned into a screenplay!

A beautifully written book. The story is about two troubled women from a different time. Although the chapters alternated between the experiences of the two women it flowed beautifully. One of the best books I have read this year.

Once again, a Diane Chamberlain book keep me up at night! When I finally put it down I woke up a few hours later thinking about it! The suspense was great and there wasn’t a bunch of romantic fluff. I loved how she tied the two main characters together at the end. Great book!

This was a complimentary copy provided by the publisher. All views expressed are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martins Press, and Diane Chamberlain. Another great read by Ms Chamberlain. I was so excited to get this new ARC, that I read it above all the others that I was given by Netgalley publishers previously. The periods going back and forth in this book kept me reading till the early hours. I love the characters and the circumstances. I live in NC and have meet Ms Chamberlain, so I totally got this book.
A 5 star definitely in my book ! Can’t wait for the next great read, as this author never disappoints.

Morgan Christopher’s dreams of becoming an artist have been dashed as she languishes in jail for a crime she didn’t commit. Then she gets a visit from a stranger who promises to get her released from jail if she agrees to restore a mural in small town North Caroline post office. What she finds leads back to Anna Dale an artist who won a contest to decorate the post office way back in 1940. Anna uncovers a dark and ugly side to the small southern town that is reflected in her mural. In the present, Morgan wonders what happened to Anna, who seems to have vanished into thin air. Chamberlain, as always writes from the heart, and this beautiful, if disturbing story, is one of her best yet

This is an outstanding new book by Diane Chamberlain. Anna and Morgan will be household names as soon as the book is released. in January and will warm your winter heart. The raw emotions and love that fill this book are beautifully displayed on the page and you can see these women as their different stories are told surrounding a small Southern town with ugly topics of racism and sexism as everyday occurrences and how we all are tainted.

Thankyou to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and the author, Diane Chamberlain, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of Big Lies In A Small Town in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
This book provided an incredible read. From the opening chapters, I was sucked in.
The storyline was well thought out and written with characters that are well defined and very realistic.
The change in timelines was seemless. The scenery was highly descriptive. I was lost in the Deep South of the 1940's ; The warmth of the sun, the feel of the breeze.. Beautiful.
Well worth a read.

When I received an email from #Netgalley letting me know I had 48 hours to read #BigLiesInASmallTown by #DianeChamberlain I knew I was NOT going to say no. I am a HUGE fan of her work. From the start this book just pulls you in. You want to know the story of #annadale and #morganchristopher. You are intrigued and shocked as you explore their stories together. You flip through time in the 1940s and present but it ebbs and flows so wonderfully that you have no issues keeping up with the who, what, where, and why. You will laugh and cry. Forewarning you will be #upallnight devouring this book with an ending that is so #unexpected you will clap delightedly that the #author was able to pull one over on you. This is a must read. #arc #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #books📚 #booknerd #thisisfortyone

Another great Diane Chamberlain book! I really enjoyed this story, and art is not something I would typically read about. She has a way of weaving together characters that you feel like you almost know them yourself.
If you love Diane Chamberlain then this one won't disappoint!

A most excellent read! I was engrossed from the first page on. I’ve read a few of this author’s books and I just really enjoy her way with words. This book takes us back and forth between the late 30s/early 40s and today, intertwining art, culture, and every day life in the small, bayside town of Edenton, NC.
Depth of characters, superbly plotted twists and turns, and easily imagined descriptions make this another good read by Diane Chamberlain.
That was a good book. Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the early read!

Oh my goodness! This book was so very good! It was told in two time lines both very interesting! Loved the characters and the story. I wasn’t quite ready for it to end! Definitely recommend this book and author! I love her books! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy