Big Lies in a Small Town Review

Title:  Big Lies In A Small Town
Author:  Diane Chamberlain
Publisher:  St. Martin's Press
Release Date:  Jan. 14, 2020
Purchase Link:  Amazon

My Rating:  5 Stunning Hearts

*A special thank you to St. Martin's Press for a copy of this arc.

Synopsis:



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?
Review:

Big Lies in a Small Town is a stunning, beautifully crafted story that held me enthralled from page 1 through the end.  Through dual points of view and dual timelines, the author weaves the story of two women born decades apart, their fates intertwined by one mysterious, 1940 painted mural commissioned to hang on the post office wall of small town Edenton, N.C. - although it never did.  In 2018, former art student Morgan Christopher is serving time for a crime she didn't commit, but was foolish enough to confess to in the name of love.  She is afforded one opportunity to get out of prison early . . . agree to restore an old, badly damaged post office mural by a certain date, and she'll be a free woman.  As she meticulously strips  years of grime from the painted mural, a dark, mysterious tale of the original artist begins to surface.  Who was the woman who painted the mural and what happened to her?  

The story that flows from the points of view of both women is totally captivating, revealing the sometimes ugly truth of the time period including racism, mental health, and preconceived notions about women and their abilities and place in society.  An ominous mystery unfolds as the old mural is cleaned, leading Morgan on a mission to discover the fate of the original artist Anna Dale.  A strong support cast of secondary characters add depth and realism to the plot as relationships form and shocking events are revealed.  I can't say enough about the brilliant way this author delivers this riveting, dark, gritty story as it brims with emotion, heartache, and suspense.  This was my first read by the multi-talented Diane Chamberlain, and I've already added more of her work to my to be read list.  Big Lies in a Small Town is a compelling mystery with heart, perservance, suspense, and hope.  I was simply blown away by the story and the obvious talent of Chamberlain and highly recommend it to all readers!  One of my favorite reads of 2019!

My Rating:  5 Stunning Hearts

Cross My Heart . . . xxx

♥Sandra♥

Anything For You Review

Title:  Anything For You
Series:  Valerie Hart #3
Author:  Saul Black
Publisher:  St. Martin's Press
Purchase Link:  Amazon


My Rating: 3 Graphic Hearts


*With special thanks to the publisher for an arc of this book.




Synopsis:
Critically acclaimed author Saul Black returns with a heart-racing thriller in which a brutal murder forces one woman to reckon with her own past--and her future.

On a hot summer night, a watchful neighbor locks eyes with an intruder and unwittingly alerts the police to a vicious crime scene next door: a lavish master bedroom where a man lies dead. His wife is bleeding out onto the hardwood floor, clinging to life.

The victim, Adam Grant, was a well-known San Francisco prosecutor--a man whose connection to Homicide detective Valerie Hart brings her face-to-face with a life she's long since left behind. Adam's career made him an easy target, and forensic evidence points towards an ex-con he put behind bars years ago. But while Adam's wife and daughter grapple with their tragic loss, Valerie uncovers devastating clues that point in a more ominous direction. Lurking in the shadows of the Grants' pristine life is a mysterious blonde who holds the key to a dangerous past.

As Valerie struggles to forge a new path for herself, the investigation forces her to confront the question: can we ever really leave our pasts behind?

Review:
SFPD Homicide Detective Valerie Hart returns in Anything For You, book 3 in the Valerie Hart series.  This is the first book I've read by this author and since I'm a read-in-order reader, I was hesitate to begin with the 3rd book.  However, the author does a great job interspersing background information into the story as it progresses, and I had no issue following the story. Det. Hart is called to a murder scene when prosecutor Adam Grant's body is discovered along side his wife who's near death from stab wounds.  Valerie's thrown off-kilter by the scene as seeing Grant brings back a dark past Valerie buried long ago.  It's evident early on through words and actions that Valerie struggles with ghosts of her nightmarish past.  While I admired her grit and perseverance, her unnecessarily crude and vulgar language and actions left the impression of a character more in line with a lewd alpha anti-hero than the smart, strong cop heroine that she's supposed to be.  As the story unfolds, I found it increasingly difficult to connect with her and have the empathy I needed to care for her character.

Anything For You is a good police procedural story with some great plot points that I think many crime thriller fans will enjoy.  Told from two strong points of view, readers are privy to both characters' thoughts which worked great in this book. The story includes several twists and turns, ending with a great lead-in to the next book. However for me, the story went awry by going overboard with the overly graphic portrayal of violence and in-your-face blatant sexuality - especially from the "heroine".  It was jarring, causing me to lose focus.  While I enjoy a dark, damaged heroine/hero, Valerie Hart didn't ring true to me and some of her actions were actually quite offensive.  As a result, it's unlikely I'll be continuing with the series.

My Rating:  3 Graphic Hearts ...

Cross My Heart . . . xxx

♥Sandra♥