<b>A compelling domestic thriller brimming with secrets and lies!</b>

E. C. Diskin has crafted a tale packed with complicated relationships and complex characters. This was a slow burning story about a dysfunctional family with many secrets and even more to lose. How would you feel if the life you knew turned out to be a complete lie?

Brooklyn Anderson, returns home to small town Eden Illinois, after receiving a phone call from her sister that their father was in the hospital. Brooklyn has been in New York pursuing her career as an actress. The trip home seems all too familiar, she was just home a few months ago after the death of her mother, and now her father has been hospitalized. Her father took a fall and broke his hip, and thank goodness her sister Ginny showed up at the house in time to take him to the hospital. The thing is, Ginny‘s stories aren’t adding up and Brooklyn has a lot of questions to ask the sister she has never really gotten along with. The more Brooklyn digs into the past the more questions she has, how could her loving family have so much to hide? Another Eden Citizen has returned home who has written a movie script and is ready to lay all the town’s secrets bare. Just like a row of dominoes after one secret is revealed the rest of them slowly and sometimes painfully are revealed as well.

Brooklyn was such a likable character there was something about her that really drew me in. I was right there by her side throughout this book squeezing her hand every time she learns something she didn’t already know. The storytelling in this book was exceptional and the characters were tremendously well drawn. This was not A crazy twisted edge of your seat type book. It was a well told story about a family and a town’s secrets and how they impacted the lives of so many. It was about a secret leads to a lie leads to another secret leads to another lie, it is a snowball effect with no end. And ultimately it will consume and destroy you. This is one of those books that captivated me from first page to last! Recommend!

*** many thanks to E. C. Diskin for my copy of this book ***

Family secrets and lies. Town secrets and lies. The death of Brooklyn's father opens up a whole host of issues for her, as well as for her sister Ginny, who has been struggling with her own problems. What is the real story of Brooklyn's life? Then there's Darius, a hometown "hero" of sorts who became an actor and now has written a screenplay that people won't be happy with. At least one was so unhappy that Darius is shot. How these two thread pull together- no spoilers. I was rooting for Brooklyn. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A quick read with enough twists to keep you guessing.

Desperate Paths by E.C. Diskin is full of secrets and lies! Brooklyn is a young woman in her early 20's and trying to make it as an actress in New York City. She is from a small town and was adopted by her religious parents while they were on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. She has an older sister Ginny who is married with 2 kids. Ginny and Brooklyn have never been close. Brooklyn receives a text from Ginny that their dad has fallen and is in the hospital and showing signs of dementia. She rushes back home to be with her dad, very upset because their mom just recently died of cancer. This is when Brooklyn's world gets split wide open. She starts finding out her life and past aren't what she thought. Ginny's world and marriage is falling apart also. By the time this story is finished no one is who/what you thought they were! Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars marked up to 4.

The story of Brooklyn Anderson, a young budding actress from the small town of Eden who now lives in New York, and her rather dysfunctional family who still reside in Eden.

When Brooklyn gets a message from her estranged older sister Ginny that their father is in hospital after having an accident.

Returning to Eden to see how her father is, she soon realizes that all may not be as it seems. She realizes that Ginny is lying to her and her father is also harboring secrets.

When an ex student of the school that Brooklyn went to in Eden, now a famous actor, returns to film a new film about his life growing up in Eden, he soon ends up in hospital as well after being shot. His script reveals so many secrets about the town and its residence, secrets that have been kept for years, and there are many people who dont want those secrets to come out.

I enjoyed this one. It did feel like it bit off a bit more than it could chew, trying to cram in a lot of topics into the one story - clerical abuse, racism, religious fanaticism to name a few.
Despite that the story is strong enough to forgive its over ambition.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 due to the strength of the storytelling.

Thanks to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and E.C. Diskin for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

E.C. Diskin’s Desperate Paths opens with main character Brooklyn Anderson sitting in a jail cell in Eden, Illinois and we immediately learn that she is considered a potential suspect in the murder of her father. As Brooklyn sits in the cell wondering how she has landed in this mess, the story then flashes back to a week earlier when Brooklyn, an aspiring actress living in New York, receives a phone call from her estranged sister, Ginny, begging her to please come home because their dad has fallen and broken a hip.

As soon as Brooklyn comes face to face with her sister, she can tell that Ginny isn’t being completely honest with her about what happened to her dad. The details don’t add up and she flat out catches Ginny in more than one lie. While Brooklyn is at the hospital, she runs into the town sheriff, who happens to be a close family friend. She learns from him that former Eden resident and now famous actor, Darius Woods is also in the hospital, fighting for his life. Darius had written a screen play that would bring to light some very ugly truths about the town of Eden and some of its residents. Not many people knew about the script yet, but those who did know, knew how explosive it would be. Within hours of Darius returning to Eden to visit his dad and talk about the script, someone shoots him.

As law enforcement investigates the shooting and Brooklyn continues to try to get the full truth about what has happened to her father from Ginny, Brooklyn discovers some uncomfortable truths about her own family and realizes her entire life has been nothing but a lie.

Diskin’s setup for the story is brilliant because within a few pages, my mind was already starting to churn with questions I’m dying to know the answers to. How in the world does a daughter rush home to care for her father and end up in jail in danger of being charged with his murder? Why can’t Brooklyn get a straight answer from her sister about their Dad’s fall? What shocking truths does Brooklyn uncover about her family? Where does Darius fit into all of this or is his shooting completely unrelated?

I also got really caught up in the messy sibling relationship between Brooklyn and Ginny. Brooklyn is adopted and is much younger than Ginny, so Ginny has rarely shown much interest in being a part of Brooklyn’s life. This made me sympathetic to Brooklyn right away, as did seeing her in the opening pages working so hard to make her dream of becoming an actress a reality. Brooklyn is determined and resourceful, but is also willing to drop everything at a moment’s notice to rush home and care for her father. Because I found her such a likeable character, I was all the more invested in finding out how in the world she had landed herself in a jail cell.

Ginny, on the other hand, was not an especially likable character, at first. She’s telling lie after lie to Brooklyn and to others, and it quickly becomes clear to Brooklyn that Ginny and her father are hiding something. I was not a fan of Ginny’s deception and found myself actively disliking her. I don’t want to give away any spoilers though so I’m just going to say that something Brooklyn discovers late in the story makes me take a second and more sympathetic look at Ginny.

The way the story is presented really appealed to me too. We watch the drama unfold from the perspectives of Brooklyn, Ginny, and the Sheriff, and the three perspectives are so unique because Brooklyn is actively seeking truths about her family, while Ginny is actively trying to hide something, and all the while, the Sheriff’s investigation seems to be leading him closer and closer to the Anderson family. The story was clearly building towards an explosive conclusion, but alternating between these points of view and their conflicting objectives effectively kept me guessing until the very end about how all of these seemingly unrelated events would tie together.

I also liked that Diskin isn’t afraid to infuse her story with some hot-button social issues. Again, I don’t want to give away any spoilers since these social issues are a major contributing factor to the events of the story and the truth that Brooklyn and the Sheriff seek, but basically if it’s an issue that’s being covered in the news right now, it’s an issue that is mirrored in Eden, Illinois as well.

Overall, I thought Desperate Paths was an addictive read that kept me on the edge of my seat as I watched everyone’s secrets being exposed. That said, however, I did find myself shaking my head at Darius Woods. Considering he grew up in Eden and knew exactly what kind of people he was dealing with, it seems like he should have known his script would not go over well. In a tiny town like Eden where everyone knows everyone else and, of course, knows all of their personal business too, changing the names of characters doesn’t really go very far to protect any identities, especially if you’re calling your film Surviving Eden. Darius obviously did not deserve to be shot for this, but it just seemed so naïve on his part and had me yelling at him a few times while I was reading, especially because he seemed like a pretty smart guy otherwise.


I went into E.C. Diskin’s Desperate Paths expecting to read an exciting thriller, and while I definitely got that, I feel like I also got so much more. Yes, there’s a death and another attempted murder that drive much of the plot, but at its heart, Desperate Paths is really a family drama about the lengths family members will go to in order to protect their own and the dangers of what can happen when long-held secrets and betrayals are suddenly laid bare for the world to see.

Desperate Paths by E. C. Diskin is a thrilling mystery portraying what family really means and the lengths they go to protect one another.. A riveting intense story riddled with damaging betrayals and secrets. The story has head spinning, shocking twists and turns, it is hard to keep pace at times.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

2.5*
Brooklyn left her quaint, small town in the Midwest for the bright lights of New York City! She’s hoping for that one big break that will launch her into the movie/TV industry. But while she’s busy chasing her star, she receives a call from her sister Ginny that their father broke his hip. Putting her dreams on hold, Brooklyn quickly returns home to help.

She isn’t the only one to return home. Darius Woods was a local kid who also had the dream of being a star, and his dream came true! A top listed movie star.
His return home is stopped short when someone makes an attempt on his life. Who would try to kill the one shining star this small town has ever produced? Maybe more importantly...why?

This is the third book I’ve read by E.C. Diskin and while I absolutely loved her previous book Depth of Lies, this one just didn’t work for me. I struggled through most of it and considered a DNF more than once. The fact that I’ve enjoyed this author’s writing in the past was the only reason I chose to finish.

If this book is on your shelf...or even on your radar, I hope it works out better for you!

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and E.C. Diskin for an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

WOW, so many secrets and definitely desperate paths!! Diskin tackled some tough, uncomfortable topics in this books. I felt she developed the storyline well and was happy how she wrapped up the subject matter. I had some guesses on what was going to happen but there were definitely twists towards the end that had me realizing there were still so many secrets to be found. There were many emotions while reading this. I wouldn't consider this book a "thriller" as some have labeled it but that being said it's definitely suspenseful and keeps you turning the page! I will continue to read Diskin's books.

The title of this book is way too cheesy for its contents. Diskin has written an excellent thriller but the title makes its seem like it is being marketed as a cheap, quick read. Diskin drops us in the middle of the story as Brooklyn, an aspiring black actress finds herself in a jail cell in Southern Illinois, accused of her father's murder. Diskin takes us back to a few days before the death, when a black actor, visiting his hometown is shot in the back. As the police investigate the shooting, old secrets start to unravel and those who want to keep them hidden resort to desperate measures. Diskin has created well-rounded, interesting characters and does a great job of showing us of portraying just how race and identity, and our reaction to it, continues to ruin lives every day. This is not a morality tale but Diskin is excellent at showing us how what you see on the surface of things rarely accurately portrays what is going on below. Just a great read! I also really enjoyed Diskin's BROKEN GRACE.

I really wanted to like this book. I absolutely love all of EC Diskin‘s previous books! This one just didn’t do it for me though. I knew the ending by 20% of my way through the book, so the thrill of suspense was gone.

Brooklyn Anderson knows it looks bad. She was found wiping down a gun. His blood on her hands. Her father now dead. The incomprehensible nightmare has started





Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book it was a great experience. A real page turner first time reading anything from this author

Desperate Paths kept me on the edge of my seat!!!

Her family secrets start weighing heavy on her mind.... she can't share the truth, but she can't escape looking extremely guilty either!

Highly Recommend!