Book Review: Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain

Title: Big Lies in a Small Town
Author: Diane Chamberlain
Pages: 391 pages
Published: January 14th 2020 by St. Martin's Press
Source: NetGalley
Amazon link: https://amzn.to/2wNYk79

GoodReads Description: "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 REVIEW:
Cute story.  Happy ending.  I expected it to be darker because of the premise.  But it was a nice story that kept me intrigued.

In reality, Morgan Christopher's part of the story was like a Lifetime movie.  I didn't like it really at all.  I didn't feel like it was very realistic.  I also know some things about the justice system that were inconsistent with this book.

Anna Dale's story was great!  I loved the history and the mystery behind her part of the story.  Her art showing her mental health struggle was really cool and I wish that it was real and I could look it up and see it!  It is exactly the kind of art I am into!  Charles Dwyer  - not that he's crazy, but there are lots of smaller pictures within the bigger picture.  Here's my favorite: 

And I read somewhere once that he said the smaller pictures within the picture were supposed to represent the complexities of the female mind.  

But anyways, back to the book.  Anna Dale's story reminded me of my favorite painting (above) and my favorite subject (psychology) and I loved her.  I loved the time period and setting of her story.  I loved her spunk.  I loved her complicated story.  

MY RATING:

Characters: 4 

Story: 4

Overall: 4 stars

YOU need this book if you want a little historical fiction mixed with your mystery.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!