Release Day! Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain ~ My Thoughts #BigLiesInASmallTown #NetGalley

Happy Release Day!

Big Lies in a Small Town

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain
Print and e-book, 400 pages
Published January 14th 2020 by St. Martin's Press

From bestselling author Diane Chamberlain comes an irresistible new novel.

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?

My thoughts about Big Lies in a Small Town ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"The children knew it was finally spring, so although the air still held the nip of winter and the grass and weeds crunched beneath their feet, they ran through the field and woods, yipping with the anticipation of warmer weather."

Oh. My. Gosh! This was such an amazing story. I loved everything about it. Diane has a way with words that can create an interesting world, a world with unforgettable characters and fabulous story lines. 

The mural that Morgan is working on, the mural that got her out of prison, is a puzzle to another woman's life. As Morgan restores the mural, the reader learns about Anna Dale and the life she lived, not all of it good or easy, by any means. I loved watching her story unravel and having it be revealed to us.  

Diane Chamberlain writes such engrossing stories and this is one that will definitely go to the top of my list of  'must-read' recommendations. 

I received an ARC of Big Lies in a Small Town from the publisher via NetGalley and this is honest review. 

About the author

Diane Chamberlain is the New York Times, USA Today and (London) Sunday Times best-selling author of 27 novels. The daughter of a school principal who supplied her with a new book almost daily, Diane quickly learned the emotional power of story. Although she wrote many small “books” as a child, she didn’t seriously turn to writing fiction until her early thirties when she was waiting for a delayed doctor’s appointment with nothing more than a pad, a pen, and an idea. She was instantly hooked.

Diane was born and raised in Plainfield, New Jersey and lived for many years in both San Diego and northern Virginia. She received her master’s degree in clinical social work from San Diego State University. Prior to her writing career, she was a hospital social worker in both San Diego and Washington, D.C, and a psychotherapist in private practice in Alexandria, Virginia, working primarily with adolescents.

More than two decades ago, Diane was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, which changed the way she works: She wrote two novels using voice recognition software before new medication allowed her to get back to typing. She feels fortunate that her arthritis is not more severe and that she’s able to enjoy everyday activities as well as keep up with a busy travel schedule.

Diane lives in North Carolina with her significant other, photographer John Pagliuca, and their odd but lovable Shetland Sheepdog, Cole.

Connect with Diane

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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