Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain is a captivating novel that blends historical fiction with a touch of mystery. The story unfolds through dual timelines, following Morgan Christopher in the present day and Anna Dale in the 1940s.
Morgan, a talented artist, is released from prison on parole under the condition that she restore a hidden mural in a small North Carolina town. As Morgan uncovers the layers of paint, she discovers a dark history and a connection to Anna, the artist who originally created the mural.
In 1940s North Carolina, Anna Dale wins a competition to paint a mural for the local post office. However, she soon realizes that the town harbors deep prejudices and hidden secrets. As Anna delves deeper into her project, she finds herself in danger.
Chamberlain masterfully weaves together these two narratives, building suspense and intrigue. The novel explores themes of art, truth, and the power of the past. With its well-developed characters and evocative setting, Big Lies in a Small Town is a must-read for fans of historical fiction and mysteries.

A unique story of two timelines, and how they intersect and weave together. I really enjoyed this, despite not really knowing what to expect when I started the book. Thank you for the chance to review this book.

I found it difficult to get into this book, but I did end up enjoying the storylines as they progressed.

This is a lovely novel, which I found heartwarming. I really enjoyed reading it and it is nice the way Diane created two storylines, which are connected. One storyline is set in the past, in 1940, where a woman called Anna wins a competition to create a beautiful art mural for a post office. The other storyline is set in the .present time, where a woman called Morgan gets out of prison early so that she can restore the art mural. Are there some secret messages hidden in the mural that Morgan will find? What happened to Anna all of those years ago?

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Great book, very well thought through on the storyline. I believe this is my first by this author and I was impressed.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Absolutely loved this book!

Well written, engaging story and something a bit different too. This deserves the 5 stars.

I read this in a couple of sittings as it had my attention from the beginning. A very easy read with characters that were easy to connect with and understand. A thoroughly enjoyable story.

Highly recommended to all.

Thank you Pam Macmillan and NetGalley.

This was undoubtedly an absolute page turner of a book!.
When Morgan is given a second chance, she grabs it with both hands. We discover so much about this character as the story follows her life after prison. As the story progresses it is impossible to not feel a connection to this character as her story is truly touching. I found myself rather emotional and truly invested in the story, along with wanting her to find happiness.
A beautifully written story that captivates you.

What a wonderful book. Morgan Christopher has been given another chance and she takes it. Not only do we live through her life after prison, we also jump into the life of a female artist from 1940 and the difficulties she went through. Anna Dale's story is a touching one and I wanted to cry with her and be there for her and generally just wanting to give her a big hug.

I think the title of this book is quite misleading, so if you go into it thinking that it will be along the same lines as Big Little Lies, etc. you may be disappointed.
It wasn't what I expected, in a good way, however. It can be quite intense at points making it difficult to read in one sitting. But seeing such tricky topics handled well made this a great read for me.
I enjoyed both storylines equally and this was really well written.
I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more of Diane Chamberlain's work going forward.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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.

Diane Chamberlain’s book creates two equally compelling story lines which follow women both dealing with issues out of their control. The book is well written, exciting, and lyrically develops the two main characters so that the book is unputdownable.

Big lies in a small town is a duel time novel set in the present day and 1940. In the past, Anna has won a competition to create a mural for a post office in a North Carolina town. In the present day, Morgan is granted early release from prison in order to restore the art. Neither women have experienced easy lives and their individual narratives are weaved together in an easy to follow and relevant way.
I found this book quite difficult to get into and the subject wasn’t initially that enticing to me. It’s worth persevering with and it highlights many topical issues within society at the moment.

Despite regularly losing myself in the world of mystery/ crime/ psychological thrillers, I am surprised to have to admit that Big Lies in a Small Town is the first book I've read by bestseller author Diane Chamberlain. It is a compelling read, set in the Deep South, encompassing two time periods. With mystery and historical fiction in equal parts, the novel explores the thought-provoking issues of racism, bigotry, and mental health.

The reader is introduced to young Morgan Christopher (in 2018) who is in prison for a crime she didn’t commit. She has been commissioned to restore a mural that has been hidden for many years. Anna Dale (in 1940) is the winner of a competition to create a mural for a small town post office in the South; the same mural that Morgan is working on. What follows are the different stories of these two women unattached by time, but bound together by other forces.

I appreciated Diane Chamberlain's richly detailed historical descriptions of the setting - the small town of Edenton in North Carolina -allowing me to gain a sense of an inviting small town, but also the realisation that it’s a place teeming with narrow-mindedness and prejudice. The author clearly has talent for creating interesting and vivid characters. Morgan and Anna were both very strong-willed women facing extreme challenges, and their stories were seamlessly combined with precisely the right amount of drive, resulting in a powerful, emotionally engaging tale that was an absolute pleasure to read.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Pan Macmillan via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I had actually read this book before and did not mind reading again as I like Diane Chamberlain. Great storyline, great characters and basically a very good read.

Like all of Diane Chamberlains books, this was a great read. Not necessarily what I was expecting but wonderfully written and full of great characters. Tackling tricky and delicate subjects is what she does best.

This was a really enjoyable read. It began nice and slowly with Anna Dale willing an art competition for which she had to design a mural for a post office during the depression, in Edenton in the USA. Many years later Morgan Christopher finds herself in prison having made some bad decisions. A benefactor of sorts is responsible for her early release with the condition that she works on the restoration of a mural. And so the story progresses.
I really enjoyed this read. I enjoyed the development of Anna and of Morgan as characters in their own rights. I wasn't too fond of Lisa. I thought she was overly and unnecessarily abrupt to the point of being hostile and almost aggressive in parts. I liked Oliver and I loved Jessie. I stayed up reading late into the night for the last 20% as I was really eager to read to the end. I loved the ending too. I give this book 4 well deserved stars.

Don’t let the cover fool you - whilst I was expecting something fairly light and airy, this novel actually packs a real punch and I was instantly gripped!
This novel flits between two narrators, decades apart - Anna, a young artist creating a mural in the small Southern town of Edenton in 1940, and Morgan, recently released from prison to restore the mural in 2018. As Morgan slowly restores the mural to its former glory, she unravels the shocking secrets of the time Anna spent creating it and the uproar that a young outsider caused back in a time when people weren’t so accepting.
This story had EVERYTHING - romance, friendship, murder, art, intrigue and the tension of race relations in the South in the 20th century. I was absolutely riveted and had that real problem of desperately wanting to know the end, but also never wanting to finish the book! I can’t imagine a single person not enjoying this book - I will be forcing copies upon everyone I know.

I didn’t think I would enjoy this novel as much as I have. Diane chamberlain has written the story really well especially if the interlinking characters Anna & Morgan. The book is quite intense however you can’t stop reading it.

Morgan Christopher is released from prison - where she is serving a sentence for a crime she didn’t commit - on condition she works to restore a mural painted in the the 1940s by now disappeared artist Anna Dale.
The restoration takes her completely outside her comfort zone as an amateur artist, and into the small town of Edenton and an eighty year mystery about what happened to the mural and Anna Dale. Plus into the potential arms of a new romance.
This is a great story.
You hop back and forth between Anna and Morgan’s stories, but it’s always clear where you are in time and each is absorbing and pacy.
You’ll love this novel in you like a great plot, characterisation and are happy to burn the midnight oil as you won’t want to put it down.
Thoroughly recommended.

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?
A wonderful book, full of secrets and super well written. I was super involved with the characters. I highly recommend it to everyone. Thank you Netgalley por share with me.