Diary of a Small Fish

Mr. Morin's novel was a compelling, entertaining read that had g

Mr. Morin's novel was a compelling, entertaining read that had great windows into a lot of areas: the courtroom, the back rooms of the legislature, bureaucratic back biting, and the life and heart of the protagonist working his way through multiple personal and professional crises.

I enjoyed the dialogue which was entertaining enough to carry the scenes, a rarity. The characters also were nicely drawn and the main romance was both believable and unpredictable. The patient simmering between Paul and Shannon gave their later relationship a much deeper resonance.

A slice of the book occurs in the bowels of the federal courthouse, passing through the hallways and minders assigned to criminal defendants. I'm guessing that Mr. Morin went the extra mile to personally see this rarely witnessed parallel universe and take us through it. It was a nice touch and representative of the excellent work and writing throughout Diary of a Small Fish.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

This book will grab you, hook, line and sinker!

Author, Peter B Morin has written an outstanding debut novel.

Irrespective of your nationality or familiarity with the laws of the United States of America, this author writes in such a way that it is clearly understood.

His professionalism is clear in every wonderful court sequence.

The character of Paul Forte is such that you just cannot help liking the guy. His wicked humor, ability to laugh at himself and his touch of innocence in a non-innocent environment has you caring what the hell happens to the him.

Hell erupting into this guy's life is pretty much what happens. He has an addiction that is not fatal, but it is an addiction; albeit one that most folks seem to understand.what is it? Golf .he has a handicap to die for on the best golf courses the U S of A has to offer.

Hyannisport anyone?

Paul Forte is being hunted; he may be a small fish, but a sufficiently interesting fish to be subpoenaed to appear before a Grand Jury.

Assistant U.S Attorney Bernard ( don't ever call him Bernie) Kilroy has his sights set on the coveted position of Attorney General of The United States of America.he wants exposure, he will do anything he has to do to get it.

Is he also motivated by something far less altruistic?

The author allows us to smell the set up, yet this is not a predictable story, far from it.

This fast paced and clever work takes you to the most unexpected places. The character of Paul Forte is not one dimensional.. He is capable of deep and abiding loyalty, his heart is able to be broken, and his love is yearning to be earned. We share with him his abiding love for his father, his relentless loyalty to friends he believes in, and his sudden and unexpected love for a woman that completes his life.

Meet Shannon, a beautiful, quirky, lovable, odd ball. A complex woman; a character crafted with skill and a depth of understanding into unresolved guilt that is moving and right on the money.

The technical aspects of the trial are beautifully handled.

The dialogue is rich and often darkly funny. The willingness of good people to do what is right in a bad situation is attacked, and. I will not spoil this for you.

It is a damned fine read, fast paced, and at times intensely moving. A fine debut novel indeed.

I look forward to reading much more from this author.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommended. A wonderful new voice.

This book is somewhere between the understated cool of Chandler and the legal smartness of Grisham. I love this voice!
The story is written with an ironic humour, a grounded sense of the American legal system from someone who knows it from the inside and a great tenderness. I shall look forward to anything now written by Pete Morin.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Good read

Enjoyed this book very much. If you ever wondered about politics this will make you wonder some more

Exciting and moving.

Well paced, compelling and sympathetic. I am so thankful this man's support kept after him to finish this book. I look forward eagerly to more.

Sarfre

Heyyyy im back from teen bonding time~starfire

Cats

Kk

Fantastic Writing from Début Author

This is an absolutely first class read, both in terms of style and content. Like so much great fiction this book builds on a great deal of personal experience and a wide local knowledge. Based on truth may not be an accurate enough descriptive, but based on true-life certainly is. The first person view only increased my sense of connection with the characters. I am not like the main Paul Forté at all, but for the time it took me to read this book I thought I really could be. He is an easily recognisable character, the jovial success that is so often both popular and the subject of seething jealousies. This is not so much a book about a small fish that is getting fried, as about a dirty struggle for dominance in a world of variably moral and immoral egos. We smell the fishy stink of politics and its connections with the law. The main character and defendant is an intelligent and quick witted character, the sort of success in life that most can only aspire to equal. We see that even the successful and socially popular have their enemies. These malignant characters seeking revenge for some unknown family slight, or some perceived wrong. The fish could have been from any city in North America, but the fact that these characters are painted into an apparently accurate backdrop of the great city of Boston greatly adds to the interest. I really felt drawn onto the streets, into the restaurants, law courts, into the backrooms of Massachusetts. I am certain there is a paralleled real life legal history behind much of Morin's invention, helping to make the plot so convincing. However, I have not the least idea as to what bits of the tapestry are or were real, which bits of legalise are case-law and which bits exotic invention, but Morin made every location, every character and every event as believable as my dinner. Then there is the golf! The sport, the life-style, bores my socks off, but whilst reading this book I loved the game and the intricacies of its exacting codes of behaviour; the writing is that good. That Morin's first book wasn't picked up by one of the majors is just one more humongous nail in the coffin of traditional publishing. I am of course writing against this day's background of exploding independent publishing, and the majors continuing and self-inflicted implosion. (May 2012).

Boston Massachusetts political/cultural junkies:

If you are even passingly familiar with the ebb and flow of Boston/Massachusetts politics and culture, you will enjoy this book. South Boston, the South End, Beacon Hill, Cape Cod and the Country Club of Brookline are extensively interwoven into this book. It's hard to put down and the ending is a total surprise!
Great read!

Loved it!

It’s just a game of golf. A game of camaraderie that creates bonds that can last a lifetime. Right? Or is it really an evil tool used by some to bring about the destruction of our political system one hole at a time?
Paul Forte is an honest guy who served his time as a politician voting his conscience. So what was the harm in playing a few (read a hundred or so) games of golf with lobbyists who never asked him for anything? They didn’t affect his votes. Right? Looking at a prison sentence because of charges brought on by a vindictive enemy he didn’t even know he had a connection with, Paul has to figure out the answer to that question. Is his conscience truly as clean as he has convinced himself it is?
Whether it is considering his somewhat gray past, exposing grand scale misuse of federal funds or figuring out how to love someone new when his life is falling apart, Paul faces it all with courage and strength. He also shows an intense vulnerability that endears him to readers. You will find yourself wanting to be on his side regardless of what side of the green you fall on in regards to the issues of lobbyists and politicians. Paul knows how the games are played and he finds out who his friends really are as he searches for answers and support. He also learns that sometimes the love of a quirky and extremely honest woman can get you through some of the toughest times of your life.
Diary of a Small Fish exposes layers of corruption in the government that we all suspect are there. But do we really want to know if they are there or not? Do we just want to cheer the television screen when a ‘dirty politician’ is indicted, or do we want to have to think about the politics that may be behind it? Is that guy corrupt – or are the guys attacking him the corrupt ones? To put this in perspective in our daily lives consider the medical field and drug sales. Physicians are no longer supposed to receive gratuitous gifts from sales reps. That very expensive pen advertising a specific drug that your doctor is using, which was given to her by a sales rep, on some level makes you feel the drug it advertises is effective and recommended by her. Should she be indicted for using it if she prescribes that drug even if she feels it is the right one for you? What if she plays golf with the sales rep? What if she takes a vacation on the drug company’s dime? When does it become an indictable offense? The same goes for politics. Sometimes, a game of golf is just a game of golf. Just as the pen your doctor is using could simply have been the first one she pulled out of her desk that morning. While still acknowledging that there is indeed corruption in the world of politics, perhaps some of it does comes down to perception – how it looks to the masses and how that perception can be used to advance careers.
In this look at the behind the scenes world of politics, Pete Morin shows some of its ugly underbelly but there is an undertone in his writing that gives one hope that maybe there are a few good politicians out there. The more I got to know his characters, the more hope I felt. I thank the author for a review copy and I give the book five stars.

Diary of a Small Fish makes a big splash in the literary pond

Thoroughly enjoyed this.

This book has all of the local flavor, atmosphere, and character/(s) one desperately hopes to find between the pages of a book set in Boston. Mr. Morin takes all the necessary ingredients and deftly creates a thrilling page-turner.

And then, as if that weren't enough, Mr. Morin goes a bit farther. Paul Forte is a character who is immediately embraceable. I chuckled, I cheered, I narrowed my eyes, I snorted, and, at times, I tried to swallow the tennis ball in my throat.

This book has a little bit of everything. Looking forward to more from this author.