Big Lies in a Small Town: A Novel
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- Create Date：2021-01-08 04:17:23
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Diane Chamberlain
- ISBN：9781250087348
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
From New York Times bestselling author Diane Chamberlain comes a novel of chilling intrigue， a decades-old disappearance， and one woman’s quest to find the truth…
“A novel about art and secrets。。。grippingly told。。。pulls readers toward a shocking conclusion。”People magazine， Best New Books
North Carolina， 2018:
Morgan Christopher's life has been derailed。 Taking the fall for a crime she did not commit， her dream of a career in art is put on holduntil a mysterious visitor makes her an offer that will get her released from prison immediately。 Her assignment: restore an old post office mural in a sleepy southern town。 Morgan knows nothing about art restoration， but desperate to be free， 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 in great need of 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？
“Chamberlain， a master storyteller， keeps readers hooked， with a story line that leavens history and social commentary with romance and mystery。”Lexington Dispatch
“A novel about art and secrets。。。grippingly told。。。pulls readers toward a shocking conclusion。”People magazine， Best New Books
North Carolina， 2018:
Morgan Christopher's life has been derailed。 Taking the fall for a crime she did not commit， her dream of a career in art is put on holduntil a mysterious visitor makes her an offer that will get her released from prison immediately。 Her assignment: restore an old post office mural in a sleepy southern town。 Morgan knows nothing about art restoration， but desperate to be free， 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 in great need of 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？
“Chamberlain， a master storyteller， keeps readers hooked， with a story line that leavens history and social commentary with romance and mystery。”Lexington Dispatch
Editor Reviews
A Palm Beach Post 2020 Recommendation
“Compelling。。。[A] good， captivating and ultimately satisfying story。”Greensboro News & Record
“Chamberlain is more than a terrific writer。 She’s incisive and understands people。”The Star-Ledger
“Chamberlain’s depictions of creative beauty and perseverance across time and in the face of inevitable obstacles will keep readers turning the pages。”Publishers Weekly
“Chamberlain’s writing is reminiscent of a quilt made up of pieces from different people， places， and times， stitched together into a single， emotional story。”Booklist
“An engaging， well-researched， and sometimes thought-provoking art mystery。”Kirkus Reviews
“[A] great escape。”First for Women
“[A] heart-pounding whodunit。”Women’s World
Praise for Diane Chamberlain’s The Dream Daughter
"With a little tension and a lot of heart， The Dream Daughter will delight Chamberlain’s fans and hook new readers。” Booklist
“Chamberlain writes with supernatural gifts。。。fate， destiny， chance and hope combine for a heady and breathless wonder of a read。”Pam Jenoff， author of The Orphan’s Tale
“Can a story be both mind-bending and heartfelt？ In Diane Chamberlain’s hands， it can。 The Dream Daughter will hold readers in anxious suspense until the last satisfying page。" Therese Fowler， author of Z
About the Author
Diane Chamberlain is the New York Times and international bestselling author of The Stolen Marriage， The Dream Daughter， and Big Lies in a Small Town。 She lives in North Carolina with her partner， photographer John Pagliuca， and her sheltie。
Reviews
Bookswithjams
，
This was absolutely spectacular， just divine。 My second read of Chamberlain’s so I really shouldn’t have expected anything less than this。 This alternates from current day （2018） to the past （1940） and is set in North Carolina。 Current day， we begin with Morgan， who is currently serving a 3 year sentence for a crime she did not commit and believes her art career is either over or put on hold indefinitely。 But then she receives a visit from a stranger， and suddenly there is hope。 She gets an offer to restore an old post office mural in a small NC town in exchange for her release。 Obvi she accepts。 And afterwards， she realizes she may have bitten off more than she can chew。 She has never restored anything before， for one thing。 Flip to the past， 1940， said small town。 Anna Dale is the artist who won a national competition to paint the mural that Morgan is supposed to restore。 She also bites off more than she can chew， as back in 1940， the townsfolk were not as accepting and she walks into a scenario that is not quite what she expected。 As the two timelines work together， we learn more about each of these two women， but less is known about Anna。 No one will talk about what happened to her， or what happened to the mural， and the question of why Morgan was selected to restore it is just as much a mystery。 I had no expectations going into this one and it was a joy to read this way。 This is storytelling at its finest， and I was as enthralled in the restoration of this painting and the stories that were unveiled with it as was Morgan， and at times it felt like I was right there with her。 I highly recommend this one， and Chamberlain is quickly moving up my list as an auto-read author。 A huge thank you to NetGalley and St。 Martin’s Press for the e-galley to review。
Diane E
，
My first read of 2021 and it did not disappoint。It’s about 25% longer than an average book， but I didn’t feel the length of it at all， it was a consistently great book throughout。 I wasn’t confused at any point between the back and forth between 1940 Anna and 2018 Morgan。 I was personally invested in the characters， and found myself rooting for them。The author does a great job of bringing the story together， down to the smallest details。 I absolutely loved the ending too。I’d classify this book a My first read of 2021 and it did not disappoint。It’s about 25% longer than an average book， but I didn’t feel the length of it at all， it was a consistently great book throughout。 I wasn’t confused at any point between the back and forth between 1940 Anna and 2018 Morgan。 I was personally invested in the characters， and found myself rooting for them。The author does a great job of bringing the story together， down to the smallest details。 I absolutely loved the ending too。I’d classify this book as historical fiction， with just the right amount of contemporary fiction and mystery on the side。A great look at sexism， racism， classism and how far each of these has come in 80 years。 。。。more
Leza Palguta
，
4。5 stars rounded up！ This book has it all。 Two different storylines set in different time periods， racial tension and injustice， and characters that feel so incredibly real。 Great way to start my reading year。
Patricia Menier
，
3。5 Stars （Rounded up）。 I loved the dual timeline and strong characters。
Belinda
，
4。5
Pam Dunn
，
Interesting and unique story。 Enjoyed the read。
Apollo Library
，
A very intriguing mystery which traveled over the decades and intertwined the lives of several very different folks together through art， secrets， lies and finally murder。 Engaging to keep me turning the pages， and the mysterious loose ends were tied up at the end。
Ciara Aston
，
Really enjoyed this book。 The plot was interesting and made me want to keep reading whenever l had the chance
Annette
，
Love this book， couldn’t stop reading it。
Madeleine Tyber
，
I was happily surprised by this book！ Took a little while to get interesting but all of a sudden it was engaging。 The romance was at times annoying but I hate reading romance。
Sarah Marie
，
The author does a fantastic job at interweaving two stories together and building up the plot。 The ending was rushed compared to the rest of the book leading me to feel a little robbed！ Overall a well written book worth the read。
Jenny Beason Morrell
，
Wonderful book！ I found myself entrapped in this story and I absolutely had to find out what happened to the characters。 If you're looking for a great book you can't put down this is it。 Wonderful book！ I found myself entrapped in this story and I absolutely had to find out what happened to the characters。 If you're looking for a great book you can't put down this is it。 。。。more
Amy Berg
，
A little slow。 I liked Diane Chamberlain's other books much better A little slow。 I liked Diane Chamberlain's other books much better 。。。more
ashley
，
4。5
Sarah
，
Anna wins a WPA contest to paint a post-office mural Edenton， Georgia in 1940。 Morgan is asked to restore it in 1918。 As Morgan cleans the work， she uncovers grizzly details， and wonders what led Anna to put them in。 Both characters are well developed， and the mystery keeps you reading。 Mostly， I enjoyed learning about how murals are painted and restored， and how challenging life was for young women artists pre-WWII。
Miriam
，
two talented artists and an ex-con art restorer with no experience -- makes for a great story。 the writing is solid and beautiful。 the plot is absolutely believable， and the characters are well developed。
Brenna
，
Favorite read of 2020。 Will definitely re read again and again。
Christen
，
4 1/2 stars。 I love books that have stories that are separate and take place in separate time lines， but converge together in the end。 And this book did a great job of it！
Janine
，
What a great book to start the new year with。 I love the story and research the author put into it。
Marcie Ham
，
Good book。 Listened on audible。
Britta
，
A comfortable read， but nothing really stuck out about it。 I liked it well-enough， I wanted to learn what happened （though it was pretty predictable） but if I had lost it in the middle I wouldn't have been in any hurry to replace it。 I felt it touched on tough topics ever so lightly， too lightly。 As if afraid of offending anyone？ A comfortable read， but nothing really stuck out about it。 I liked it well-enough， I wanted to learn what happened （though it was pretty predictable） but if I had lost it in the middle I wouldn't have been in any hurry to replace it。 I felt it touched on tough topics ever so lightly， too lightly。 As if afraid of offending anyone？ 。。。more
Lauren White
，
Wow I loved this book！ I listened to it on audio and I couldn’t get enough of it！ The narration is wonderful。 This is a story about two women during two different time frames and how their lives unfold。 It flips back and forth from the 1940’s to present day。 A historical fiction book with a twist an art history。 High recommend！
Carol
，
3。5。 I liked this one better than the other book I read by this author。 Interesting story， and the art restoration backdrop was also good。
Christine Denson
，
I really like Diane Chamberlain。 This story really touches on second chances， mystery， so many secrets always in every town， and how finding community and family in unexpected places can change ones life if one only steps aside and gives themself a chance。
Sara
，
Adult- HF/Mystery Thrilleraudio book
Kelsey Fanelli
，
4/5- audiobook - bloom book club
Carrie Guthrie
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A really interesting premise。 Morgan is enlisted to restore a mural painted by an elusive artist Anna decades earlier。 Morgan's story begins with the complexity of her situation， whereas the true complexity of Anna's story only emerges with time。 Told in alternating chapters between characters， the book explores family relationships， race issues， and redemption。 I struggled to engage with the characters early， but I couldn't put it down in the last 1/3。 Great story and well written！ A really interesting premise。 Morgan is enlisted to restore a mural painted by an elusive artist Anna decades earlier。 Morgan's story begins with the complexity of her situation， whereas the true complexity of Anna's story only emerges with time。 Told in alternating chapters between characters， the book explores family relationships， race issues， and redemption。 I struggled to engage with the characters early， but I couldn't put it down in the last 1/3。 Great story and well written！ 。。。more
Krista
，
This is a beautiful， well-written novel about two women， both artists。 They are separated in time by more than 75 years， but are connected through a mural - one painting it， the other restoring it。 The interweaving of their two stories was done beautifully and I found both stories tugging at my heart strings as the two women grappled with the choices and secrets that defined their lives， and wrestled with the significance of that painting。 Definitely worth the read。
Julie
，
In 1939， Anna Dale， an artist from New Jersey wins a competition to paint a mural in the Edenton， North Carolina post office。 In 2019， Morgan Christopher is hired to restore Anna Dale’s mural。 In the telling of Anna’s painting the mural， many mysteries arise。 And as Morgan restores the mural many of the mysteries are unraveled。 Great characters within a juicy plot and very well-written and researched。
Katie Rzucidlo
，
I really loved this book！ There were some good surprising moments that I was like what？ And I had to go back and read the page again。 I was sorry when it ended！ I would love to hear more about Morgan as she continues her life。
Courtney Curtis
，