This book was simply AMAZING!! I had to wait a few days after finishing it to write this review because I needed to process it all. This book is full of twists and turns and all about learning from both our mistakes and creating a life that you love. I loved the dual story lines and the suspense of it all. Overall this has been one of my favorite books of 2019!!

Right from the start, I want to know, what did Morgan do? Why did Jesse choose Morgan? What happened to Anna? As the drama unfolds and the chapters alternate from present day, Morgan, to 1940s and Anna, Diane Chamberlain draws the reader into the story with her very like-able characters. I think the only things I didn't like about this story was the cover and the title, I would have chosen something else. #netgalley #bigliesinasmalltown

This is a great cold car murder mystery with two stories in one. The murder takes place in the 1940 a. the author tells the story of two young artists. One from the 40's and one from the 21st century. I was amazed at how the stories came together. A great chic beach read.

This was a GREAT book! I enjoyed all the twists and turns. Every step back in time was also very insightful to what it was like. We don't think about those things today. How great to see someone that has found success use his success to help others achieve their own. Just a great read all around!

I received an advanced reader copy of this book and am voluntarily reviewing it.

Another home run by Diane! I was so pleased to be invited to review this book.
I really enjoyed the duel perspectives of Anna and Morgan and how Diane was able to weave their story lines together. It was very interesting to see two very different times in US history and how each woman was affected by people and their surroundings. I loved that we learned more about Morgan’s story line and why she was asked to be involved with the painting restoration through Anna’s story. We learned a great deal about Jesse through his younger days and through his family. One of my favorite parts was reading about Jesse’s family and the struggles they faced due to race and the towns prejudices. It was great to be able to flash forward to Morgan’s story and see just how far Jesse’s family had come and how times have changed. I could go on and on as usual with Diane’s books. But suffice it to say that I really enjoyed this emotional and complicated story and as always look forward to reading more from Diane.

THIS is the way to write a book with a mystery inside. Well written, no added fluff (which in this world is almost impossible to find). Taut ending. very good.

An excellent, memorable new novel by Diane Chamberlain! I really enjoyed this story, filled with mystery, art, second chances, racism, and friendship. Thank you NetGalley for the Advance Reader Copy. All opinions are my own.

There are two different timelines in this story. In 1939 Anna Dale is a young artist who has just lost her mother. She won a contest to paint a mural for a post office in Edenton, North Carolina. She moves to Edenton and is all alone in a small town. She has a hard time adjusting to small town life and small minded people. In 2018, Morgan Christopher is a 20 something who is serving a short prison sentence. She is paroled under the condition that she restores a mural in Edenton, North Carolina. Despite never having restored a painting before, Morgan throws herself into the project and the mysterious life of Anna Dale.
This book was a bit of a slow start for me but by the middle of the book I was completely immersed. I really enjoyed it.
Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for a copy of this book to review.

It’s 2018 and Morgan has been tasked with restoring an unfinished mural that was originally painted by Anna in 1939 for installation in the Edenton, North Carolina Post Office. I love the backstory behind these two women and the way the chapters go back and forth between the two time periods. As Morgan cleans the dirt and grime that accumulated over the years. It becomes clear that Anna was a very troubled young woman. This is an excellent mystery.

In 1939 twenty-two year old Anna Dale was excited to have been chosen by the government to paint a post office mural in the little town of Edenton, North Carolina. When she moved there from New Jersey she was excited to learn more about the town, but soon learned not everyone was happy she’d gotten the job. She took on three teens to help her, but Southern tradition soon began to raise its ugly head. Young Jesse Williams was amazingly gifted, and Anna knew if he went to art school he could set the art world on fire. She was happy to mentor him while he helped her, but townspeople were spreading rumors because she was working with a colored teen.

In 2018, Morgan Christopher had been in jail for a year. She was surprised to get a visit from the daughter and lawyer of the famous artist Jesse Williams, telling her his will stipulated she must restore a Depression-era mural within two months. Desperate to get out of jail, she agreed to the strange transaction. As she began to work on cleaning the mural, Morgan began to discover strange things, leaving her to wonder if Anna had become insane.

Chamberlain seamlessly wove through time in alternate chapters, as she told Morgan and Anna’s stories. As more and more of the mural’s clues were revealed, what had been happening while she painted it was described through Anna’s point of view. This chilling story of betrayal, murder, vindication and hope will keep readers turning pages until its very satisfying conclusion.

Highly recommended for Adults.

I received an advance copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

As with all her books this one was wonderful. She has a way of putting you into the plot and makes you engage with the characters.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book and

This book was intense. I was literally on the edge of my seat and couldn’t put it down! The word usage by the author was fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed this story!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Diane Chamberlain is truly a master storyteller! I have enjoyed every novel I’ve read by her, but I think Big Lies in A Small Town is my favorite from her to date! I went into this riveting novel completely blind and I am so glad I did! Big Lies in A Small Town has an incredibly gripping storyline that hooked me right away! The characters were extremely well developed which is what connects the reader to this 5 star read! I felt all of my heartstrings pulled throughout his book and I definitely gave my tissue box a workout! I highly encourage everyone to read this fantastic read— such a great novel to cozy up with and get lost in! A true must read!

I thought that Big Lies in a Small Town was an excellent story that kept me hooked until the bitter end. Diane Chamberlain has created a novel that spans two different eras- the early 1940's and the present time. At the start of the novel- in the present, Morgan is visited in prison by two women who offer to get her released early from prison where she is serving time for a drunk driving accident. As it turns out, Morgan is the beneficiary of a black artist named, Jesse Jameson Williams. In his will, Jesse has tasked Morgan with restoring a mural that was started in 1939 by an artist named Anna Dale. Anna had won a painting commission to paint a mural in the post office in a town called Edenton as part of the 48-States Mural Competition in 1939. Why did Jesse choose Morgan to restore the mural? Why does the mural seem to have been painted by a very troubled woman? And of course, what ever did happen to Anna Dale? The book is a neat puzzle that comes together bit by bit. The story explores the racial relationships that Anna dealt with in Edenton as well as Morgan's journey to accept her mistakes and move on to a new life which includes art, love and sobriety. I highly recommend this novel!

The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain was one of my favorite books last year so I had high expectations for Big Lies in a Small Town and it did not disappoint! It was a little bit slow at the start but I ended up loving it once I got into it. The story of Anna Dale in 1940 and Morgan Christopher in the present day were both intriguing and tied together well. The only thing I don't like about the book is the title - it sounds like a bad Lifetime movie. But I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

Another fantastic book by Diane Chamberlain! She really gets to the heart of small-town life in North Carolina during the 1940s. The characters are well developed and full of life - you will instantly feel exactly how they felt during this tumultuous time. The back and forth storylines are not confusing, they fully enhance the story. The ending - well at least part of it - is slightly obvious in the way that it's the only way to explain a big portion of the story, but it is told in a wonderful way that doesn't detract from anything else. A great book. Thank you for allowing me to read an advance copy!

Diane Chamberlain does it again with another unputdownable novel. . Morgan is in prison taking a fall for a crime she did not commit . One day she is approached by her favorite artists daughter with an offer she can’t refuse. Restore an old post office mural for the grand opening of an art galley in a small southern town . We go back and forth between Morgan’s story and Anna Dale the original artist of the mural. Twist and turns galore with a spectacular ending . Cannot wait For Ms. Chamberlain’s next one !

Have you ever read a book where you read through all of the acknowledgements and author's notes? Big Lies in a Small Town, was so good, that I wanted to know absolutely everything that went into the book, including every person that helped in the creation of it. This is a novel where every character came alive, and where I wanted to know absolutely everything about every singe one of them.

Big Little Lies takes place in the small town of Edenton, North Carolina. It is told in the present day, by Morgan Christopher, an ex-con, who was tapped by a recently deceased artist, for some reason unknown to everyone, to restore a painting that was done in 1940, by Anna Dale, the other voice telling the story. Chapter by chapter, we watch us a mural painted long ago, is restored by Morgan, and while that same painting is painted in real time by Anna. Each character is living their life, while doing the works of art. Morgan, a 20-something, whose life was derailed from being an art student at UNC, to taking the fall for a car accident that seriously injured another young woman. Her boyfriend, a law student, was the drunk driver during the crash, took off, leaving her to take the blame, and go to jail for the crime he committed. However, she feels responsible as well, having also been drunk in the car, and lives every day with the guilt and shame of what occurred. After a long year in jail, she has visitors who tell her that she is being sprung, to restore a mural, at the behest of Jessie Jameson Williams, one of her favorite artists. In his will, he stated that she needed to do the restoration to a very old, very dirty, mural, and has just a few months to complete the task, as the gallery that the mural is to hang in, must be opened on a particular date, or his daughter, Lisa, will lose her house, as it will go to charity if she cannot have the gallery opened to his specifications. So, the clock starts to tick down, and as it does, Morgan learns a lot about the painting she is restoring, how to do restoration work, as she walked into this job knowing absolutely nothing about how to restore anything, and ultimately, the artist, Anna Dale, who painted the the mural almost 80 years earlier. Along the way, we learn more about Anna Dale from her account, as well as Jessie Jamison Williams, and how the two individuals were connect, and the joys and tragedy that befell them both. All of the main characters in this novel learn how to leave the past behind them so they can move into the future. A lesson we all need to learn at some point in our lives.

I began this book before leaving for vacation a week ago, as I was reading it on my kindle, I took a different book to read while on the beach, but came back to this book every night upon my return. I could not let my week of vacation end, without knowing how this books ends. Just like Morgan, I hit that goal just before the deadline, and I loved every minute I spent reading it. Absolutely one of the best books I have read this year.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the pleasure of reading this e-galley in exchange for my honest opinion. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to read and review this excellent novel.

Diane Chamberlain has been one of my favorite authors for some time, so I was thrilled when I was given the opportunity to read this. Big Lies in a Small Town is a remarkable book. Chamberlain touches on several historical social issues while telling Anna’s story and she does so extremely well. Both Anna and Morgan are strong, yet vulnerable and flawed women. Chamberlain tells their stories in such a way that you can’t help but feel invested in them. You want to see what happens to them. You want them to succeed, to come out on top. I truly enjoyed this and I was sad to see it end..

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Four and a half solid stars.

Diane Chamberlain is one of my very favorite authors and I always highly anticipate her new book publications. Her 2018 release, The Dream Daughter, ranks as one of my favorite books ever and was a tough act to follow.
It made my week when I was recently sent an advanced reader's copy of her upcoming 2020 release, Big Lies in a Small Town and I just couldn't resist reading it right away!

Chamberlin is gifted at writing engaging and compelling novels that tackle tough topics with such awareness of others. Her topics are thought-provoking and always cause great self-reflection for myself as the reader. Chamberlain's vividly detailed plotlines and multifaceted characters bring you inside the story and you can feel the emotions of the characters she shares. In Big Lies in a Small Town, Chamberlain shares a dual narrative as well as a past and present timeline with ease.

She introduces us to the worlds of Morgan Christopher and Anna Dale and the events who made and changed them. I don't know how she does it, but I can connect personally with every one of her characters, even if our lives and worlds are so different. There are many "heavier" themes including alcoholism, sexual assault, racial issues of the 1940s, and many family secrets which she handles both sensitively and eloquently.

Not only does she make you feel but she makes you think when read her novels. I really enjoyed reading this one but I kept thinking about it long after I was finished which is the sign of a great book for me. I highly recommend adding this to your winter reading list and in the mean time, catch up on some of Chamberlain many other amazing reads, there are so many to choose from!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.