***NOW AVAILABLE, YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED IN THIS ONE***This is only the second novel that I have read by Ms. Chamberlain. This book is quite different from “The Dream Daughter” which involved time travel and a woman’s decision about the fate of her unborn child. What this book shares with the previous book that I read is a dual timeline once again and strong character development. I would classify this more as a mystery with a very unique story. I found the flow to be wonderful and it was ea

AssiduityBig Lies in a Small Town is a stunning story full of mystery, opportunity and loss. It is emotionally absorbing from beginning to end with enthralling secrets and puzzles that maintain a great momentum without dropping gear. The story is told over two time periods from the perspective of two young female artists, Anna Dale in 1940 and Morgan Christopher in 2018. Morgan is serving a sentence in North Carolina Correctional Facility for a drunk driving crime she took the blame for, to save...

4.5 rounded up to 5 Stars.This book landed on my radar via a NetGalley email. What's more, it has a bit of a personal connection. In my hometown we have one of those huge murals depicting important highlights in our city like St. Mary's RC Church with a flock of walking nuns astride it. Unlike the murals spoken about in this book that adorn post office walls, it instead hangs in a bank. I always enjoyed drinking in its history each time I waited in line to perform my banking transactions. I had

Diane Chamberlain writes a compulsive and gripping novel that skillfully weaves the stories of two women from the past and the present. In 2018, 22 year old Morgan Christopher is serving a prison sentence at the North Carolina Correctional Facility in Raleigh for a crime she did not commit. Out of the blue, she receives a visit from Lisa Williams, whose father, the artist Jesse Jameson, has recently died and the lawyer, Andrea Fuller. He left behind a will in which he makes it clear that he want...

NO SPOILERS....only descriptive teasers...Diane Chamberlain knows what a good story is about. She continues to arrive at new levels of power with each of her novels being more impressive than the one before. A very loved novelist by readers all around the world....I, too, became an instant giddy fan in 2014, when I read “Necessary Lies”. The story itself was a punch-in-the-gut explosive historical awakening. Having now read about a half dozen more of her novels....what stands out for me is Diane...

Refined, impressive, effective story-telling and adroitly, meticulously developed two amazing characters and their lyrically interwind stories. I’m giving my historical, provocative, stunning four stars for this intriguing journey!Two artists from different timelines, suffering from the life choices they made because they cannot control them. Two voices shout at us their heart-wrenching stories and want us listen to them. So let’s hear them out, turning the pages to learn more about those amazin...

Well, that is some mighty fine, creative writing here by one of my favourite authors. I loved this one!! Big Lies is a Small Town did start off a little slow for me and I was feeling a bit worried that I wasn't quite getting where the story was going here by almost halfway. I was intrigued but at first, felt like I was being strung along a bit. Then I reminded myself that I have nothing to worry about because this is Diane Chamberlain. Well, well my patience was rewarded and around the middle of...

My reviews can also be seen at: https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr... Another terrific read from Diane Chamberlain!!! 2018 - Morgan Christopher is starting her second summer in the North Carolina Correctional Facility. Morgan is surprised when she is told that two women are there to see her. She normally doesn't receive visitors. Lisa Williams and Andrea Fuller introduce themselves and get right to the point. “Andrea and I are here to offer you a way out of this place”.Lisa and Andrea ask Mo...

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain is a 2020 St. Martin’s Press publication. Another example of why Diane Chamberlain is one of my favorite authors! I am always intrigued by stories centered around art. I have zero talent in that department, so I marvel at those who do. As you can imagine, this story grabbed my attention right away. The story is built around three artists:Jessie Jameson Williams- who, upon his death, sets in motion a series of events that will merge the past with the

Dream Daughter was my first read by Diane Chamberlain. I was completely hooked on that book and couldn’t put it down. Once Big Lies in a Small Town came out, I had to give it a try, and I’m elated because I was totally engrossed in this story. It consumed my weekend. What a page-turner!This story is told from two different points of view alternating between 1940 and 2018. We have Morgan, a young girl who’s been serving time for a crime she didn’t commit. Surprisingly, she catches a break after s...

Diane Chamberlain has done it again! What a fantastic book! This really is storytelling at its absolute best. Two equally compelling storylines woven seamlessly together. 2018 Morgan is in a North Carolina prison convicted of a crime she did not commit. When she is approached with an opportunity to get out of jail if she is willing to restore a 70-year-old mural, she jumped at the chance. The only problem is Morgan is not certain she has the skill set to do the restoration and there is a time cr...

***In August 2019, we moved to the Anson area and I didn't realize, at the time I wrote this review, that our little post office has one of these murals. The link below will take you to it. The artist even snuck a bottle of moonshine into the mural 😁http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasArt/...In 1940, young Anna Dale wins a contest to paint a mural for the Edenton, NC post office. Twenty two years old and fleeing the heartbreak of her mom's very recent death, Anna throws herself into the job of desi...

Big lies in a small town is the story of two women born in different times dealing with issues which are beyond their control. Each woman will have her challenges and her triumphs. Each will be tested, and each will have to prove herself.North Carolina, 2018 Morgan Christopher was an art student who made a bad judgement call and ended up serving time in a women's correctional center for a crime she did not commit. Then one day she is visited by two women who tell her that she will be released fr...

Diane Chamberlain was on my "authors I'd like to read" for a while now because Nicole from GirlyGirlBookWorm really likes her, and us two have the similar taste in books.This was my first read by this writer, but it surely won't be the last, because I really liked Big Lies in a Small Town.The story follows two time lines: one set in 1940 and the second set in today's time.This book made me realize that I actually enjoy reading books with two different time lines, and I will try to add more novel...

Storytelling is a talent and Diane Chamberlain sure must have been at the front of the queue when God was doling out talents. A beautifully written, intriguing page turner that was extremely difficult to put down.Great characters, suspenseful and compelling Plot and a book that draws the reader in right from the start. I took the advice of a fellow reader and purchased this one on audible and it was flawless. Big Lies in a Small Town, is a sweeping novel about two women connected by a painting t...

🎉🎉Five Bright Shiny Stars🎉🎉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 desperat...

I got interested in this novel beacuse of the mention of mural art. The city where I live has become known to its murals on the walls of tenement houses and they always draw my attention whenever I get around the city. Also, I associate murals with the American culture, and I thought that a novel which has this art as the central point must be interesting. And I was not wrong. I am not a fan of dual timeline, however, with this novel it went smoothly for me. The stories of two young women, Anna

I’ve read several of the over two dozen novels that Diane Chamberlain has written. I can’t say I loved them all as much as Necessary Lies, but in my view, it’s unquestionable after reading them, that Chamberlain knows how to tell a story. Almost eighty years separates the alternating narratives of two women artists. Anna Dale’s is told in the third person and her story takes place in 1939 in the small town of Edenton, NC, where she travels to from New Jersey. Anna has won a national contest to p...

4+ stars!A suspenseful and captivating mystery set in a small town. Told in the dual narratives of 1940 and 2018, the two main characters, Anna and Morgan are young artists looking to find their way. Before finishing a mural project for the small town of Edenton, Anna goes missing in 1940. Almost 80 years later, Morgan is asked to restore the unfinished mural project so it can be hung in a local art exhibit. Little does Morgan know the hidden secrets she will find while researching and restoring...

3.5 STARS A slow burn of a mystery set in North Carolina. Two women- Morgan and AnnaTwo timelines-2018 and 1940The plot switches between timelines (then/now) and follows the two women as they are connected by a painting/mural project that they are both working on in different capacities.The first half of the book was slow going and a bit bogged down in the painting project details (in my opinion). There are plenty of clues that may lead you to solve the big reveal and predict the end as I did....