Big Lies in a Small Town - by Diane Chamberlain (Paperback)

About the Book

A woman taking the fall for a crime she did not commit 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.tely.

Book Synopsis

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 hold--until 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

Review Quotes

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.