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.
Diane Chamberlain has done it again and this is definitely on my short list of favorites from her. She has crafted a perfect novel in many ways. The structure made is compelling and kept me turning the pages quickly! The characters were complex and designed in such a way that I just wanted to know more and more about them. One thing I love about historical fiction books is when there is a dual timeline that involves some type of mystery, and this book did an amazing job of meshing those two thing together. If you thought art restoration sounded boring, you need to read this book. It was a fascinating process of discovery in many ways and I loved the author's use of it in the story. Please pick this book up as soon as possible!
* I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *
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