As a big fan of Diane Chamberlain I couldn’t wait to read this book The beginning of the book started out strong and then I felt there was to much on restoring murals and I got a little board, although the book did pick up about halfway through and I loved the ending. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Another fantastic book by Diane Chamberlain, I read the last quarter slowly as I didn’t want it to end! Her characters are so well written, I always miss them when I finish her books. 5*

I really enjoyed this novel, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. The story flips back and forth between two timelines and two main characters. I appreciated the historic ties the author provided for the differences between the two time periods and between the North and the South. Since I lived close to the hometown of one main character and now live close to the setting of the second I felt a closer connection. I was disappointed to finish the book, I'd like to see a sequel!

I would like to express gratitude to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and cheered for the characters. I was proud of them by the end.

I honestly think I may have found a new author for my favorites list. This is only the second book I have read by this author but both have proved impossible to put down.

This book bounces back and forth between artist Anna Dale in 1940 and Morgan Christopher in 2018. It took me about five chapters to figure out which time I was in but by chapter six I honestly couldn’t put this book down. I needed the answers that would only come from completing this book.

The author did a great job creating a story that was historically believe able and very intriguing. I loved how the ending of this story produced answers but still leaves the reader wanting to know more.

I can’t wait to see what this author does next!

I am so grateful to netgalley and the publisher for making this available for me to read an advanced copy. The review is my honest opinion.

This book was beautifully written. Set in two different times, the past and future weave themselves together for a beautifully told story. Anna gets the chance of a lifetime. After losing her mother, she has the chance to paint a mural in a small town. Times are different in the south. After befriending two boys to help her with her mural, rumors fly and the town is quickly divided. Things get heated and Anna gets more than she bargained for. Morgan, hasn't had the greatest life and after getting an unexpected get out of jail free card she is thrown into a different life than she pictured for herself. Restoring Anna's mural restores Morgan's faith in herself and life. Bringing the past and future together in an unexpected twist. This book was flawlessly written with amazing characters that were true to the time of their stories. I absolutely loved this book.

I’ve long been a fan of Diane Chamberlain’s novels. There are just too many to list here but my favorites include The Stolen Marriage and Necessary Lies, you really can’t go wrong with any of her books.

2020 brings us her newest, Big Lies in a Small Town. Here’s the scoop:

North Carolina, 2018: Morgan Christopher’s life has been derailed. Taking the fall for a crime she did not commit, she finds herself serving a three-year stint in the North Carolina Women’s Correctional Center. Her dream of a career in art is put on hold—until a mysterious visitor makes her an offer that will see her released immediately. Her assignment: restore an old post office mural in a sleepy southern town. Morgan knows nothing about art restoration, but desperate to leave prison, she accepts. What she finds under the layers of grime is a painting that tells the story of madness, violence, and a conspiracy of small town secrets.

North Carolina, 1940: Anna Dale, an artist from New Jersey, wins a national contest to paint a mural for the post office in Edenton, North Carolina. Alone in the world and desperate for work, she accepts. But what she doesn’t expect is to find herself immersed in a town where prejudices run deep, where people are hiding secrets behind closed doors, and where the price of being different might just end in murder.

What happened to Anna Dale? Are the clues hidden in the decrepit mural? Can Morgan overcome her own demons to discover what exists beneath the layers of lies?

This will be published in January 2020.

Talk about sucking you in! I have to say I’ve ready all of Diane Chamberlain’s books. Some, I’ve enjoyed more than others, but I’ve liked all of them. But Big Lies in a Small Town really knocked it out of the park. The books switches between the past and present from the viewpoints of two women. Anna, who won a contest to paint a post office mural during the Great Depression, and Morgan, a young woman serving time in prison for a crime she didn’t commit. When Morgan is offered a chance to get out of prison under the condition of restoring the mural Anna began so many years before, she is grateful to be out of prison, but unsure if she’ll be able to complete the project. As she delves deeper into the mural, she begins to learn things she never expected. Reading Anna’s story shows how different times were back then and finally the reader will come to understand the secrets of the mural. By the end of the book, you’ll be hanging on to every word. Excellent story and excellent work by Ms. Chamberlain.

I always look forward to Diane Chamberlain's books and I was delighted to receive an ARC of her new book Big Lies In A Small Town.
This story is told in two time frames.
In 1940 Anna Dale wins an art competition to paint a mural for post office building in a small town. When she arrives to work on the painting she feels that she is not welcome because everyone is unhappy that the towns resident painter was not chosen as the winner.
In 2018 Morgan Christopher is let out on parole from prison to restore the mural that has never been put up in the town and has been in storage since it was finished.
I liked both of these characters and thought that the dual timeline worked very well.
I really enjoyed this story and can't wait for this author next book.
Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

So SO SO excited to get an Arc of this book! Another 5 star book from Diane Chamberlain! Loved the story and loved the writing style. Each chapter jumps from present day to the past and beautifully tells the way the characters lives are interwoven. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

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 and I couldn’t put this book down. I fully recommend it!
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review .

This was a compelling read! It's told from two different perspectives from the past to present.

Morgan Christopher is serving time in the North Carolina Correctional Facility for women, when she is told she has visitors. Morgan is greeted by two women, Lisa Williams and Andrea Fuller. Lisa has a proposition for Morgan, Lisa's father, Jesse Jameson Williams, was a famous artist who had passed away. Jesse left strict instructions for his daughter involving Morgan. Morgan accepts the challenge to restore a mural from the 1940's, but there is a catch, Morgan has until August 5th.

Morgan had to live in Edenton, and live with Lisa Williams. She has no experience in restoration, but learning how to is better than the alternative of going back to prison. As she works on the mural, she gets curious about the artist, Anna Dale. As the mural is cleaned, it reveals tidbits that appear out of place, and rumor is that Anna Dale went nuts then disappeared.

Anna Dale is twenty-two years old, who entered into the 48-States Mural Competition, although her entry was for the post office in New Jersey, the judges awarded her to create a mural for the Edenton post office. A small town, that wasn't enthusiastic about having an outsider, and female create a painting of their town. Anna encounters segregation, which doesn't go well with her. Anna, also encounters opposition from the big wigs of the town, who are all male, regarding her choice of what to include in the mural.

I loved how this story was revealed through the retelling of Anna Dale, and Morgan's curiosity that lead her to dig up information. There was several times reading that I gasped as something was revealed. I, especially loved how the ending tied everything together. This is one you wouldn't want to miss reading.

I received an ARC from NetGalley via St Martin's Press and I have voluntarily reviewed this book.

Once again this author does not disappoint. Riveting from beginning to end. I never saw some of the twists coming. Without giving spoilers, I highly recommend this book as a good escape..fabulous story teller.

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fantastic read in one sitting. Loved the whole Anna Dale story and the twists and turns in the book. Great writing from a seasoned professional like Diane Chamberlain. Loved and read all her books looking forward to the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Diane Chamberlain and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

Oooh, I love all of Diane Chamberlain's books and this one was no exception! I loved how the story was being told by both Anna in the past and Morgan in the present. The ending was a nice touch, but I wish she had expanded more in the epilogue.

Another fabulous book by the amazing Diane Chamberlain.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

I was so excited when I saw that Diane Chamberlain had written a new book but was really disappointed to see that its only coming out next year. I took a chance and requested it and I was so excited to be approved.

This is an amazing book. This is one author who never disappoints. The book alternates chapters with the modern days and the past. Diane always tackles difficult topics in her books and I always go away feeling like I've learnt a great deal. The author creates such wonderful and unique characters and when you finish the book, its like you are bidding farewell to good friends. This is how I felt about this book. I loved the main characters and how she portrayed them. She writes with such sensitivty and wisdom. I practically devoured this book and it made me sad as I know I will have a long wait before the next one.

I highly recommend this book as well ad the author's previous works. Diane Chamberlain's books are a a real treat to be savoured and enjoyed.

I have one word to describe Diane Chamberlain’s newest book- incredible! As a long-time fan of Diane Chamberlain, I was super excited to get an advanced copy. I was not disappointed! I love the writing style (2 stories overlapping), the strong female characters, and the surprise ending. As a lover of history & art, I love that the plot centered around preserving a painting. I love all of Diane Chamberlains books, but this is my new favorite! I will be recommending this book to everyone and can see it being a hit in book clubs.

Thank you NetGalley for inviting me to read this novel. I’ve been a fan of Diane Chamberlain’s for a few years now, and each new book gets better and better.

This novel goes back and forth from the 1940s to 2018. Anna Dale is a young artist in 1940 picked to paint a mural for a town in NC that she’s never been to. And in 2018, Morgan Christopher is released from prison on the condition that she completes the restoration of this mural many many years later.

There are many small twists and turns throughout the book. Easy light read, couldn’t put it down!

This story flips between Morgan in 2018 and Anna in 1939. Morgan is a young woman who finds herself released from prison early in exchange for taking on a major art restoration project. While Morgan is an artist, she has never studied or undertaken restoration projects and she has a large task to complete before her deadline. She sees the mural that Anna created back in 1939, and many questions come up. Who was Anna? What was going through her mind when she painted certain elements on the mural? And, what ever happened to Anna?
I found myself very intrigued by the restoration process of the painting and saw the pieces and colors be uncovered in my mind. And, learning more about Anna was fascinating as well. I couldn't read the story fast enough, and I can't wait for this book to be published in January!

Diane Chamberlain has done it again with an unforgettable novel that tackles racism, murder, art, relationships, and more.

In 1940, Anna Dale is a young woman who wins a competition to paint a mural that will be displayed in the Edenton, North Carolina post office. Anna is far from her home in New Jersey and decides to stay in the little town while she goes through the process of creating the painting. While she quickly befriends a number of the folks in town, there are others who are upset that she won the competition. Anna also learns that racial prejudices are prevalent, and there might be danger lurking.

In 2018, Morgan Christopher, a former art student, is in jail for a crime she didn't commit. She is offered a get out of jail card in the form of being released on probation if she agrees to restore an old painting that was supposed to have been displayed in the Edenton post office decades prior. She agrees, but never expects to uncover a plethora of secrets, lies, and deep-rooted history in a small town.

This book was very hard to put down, and as usual, is written so richly and with care that it reads like a film. I felt moments of joy, heartache, speculation, and suspense while reading it, and Diane Chamberlain is on top of her game as usual. I have read all but her very first two novels, which I will get to now that they have been re-released, and I don't think I would rate any one of them less than 5 stars. I was completely honored to receive an ARC from St. Martin's Press after reviewing her previous novel (personal favorite THE DREAM DAUGHTER). This is another one I will highly recommend to anyone who looks to me for recommendations.

The hardest parts about finishing a Diane Chamberlain novel are knowing whatever I read next will not compare, and that I will have to wait awhile until her next novel. 5 very enthusiastic stars from me!