Fourth Protocol [Hardcover]

Frederick Forsyth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 17, 1984

A title first published in 1984, in which MI5 investigator John Preston works against an urgent deadline in an operation to prevent an act of destruction aimed at casting Britain into revolution.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"When it comes to espionage,  international intrigue and suspense, Frederick Forsyth is a  master."--The Washington Post --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

It is a time of political unrest in Great Britain. And behind the Iron Curtain an insidious plot is being hatched, a plan so incendiary that even the KGB is ignorant of its existence--Aurora, the sinister brainchild of two of the world's most dangerous men: the general secretary of the Soviet Union and master spy Kim Philby.

The wheels are in motion, the pawns are in place, and the countdown has begun toward an "accident" that could change the fact of British politics forever and trigger and collapse of the Western alliance.

Only British agent John Preston stand any chance of breaching the conspiracy. Through plot and counterplot, from bloody back streets to polished halls of power both East and West, his desperate investigation is relentlessly blocked by deceit, treachery, and the most deadly enemy of all...time.

"When it comes to espionage, international intrigue and suspense, Frederick Forsyth is a master."--The Washington Post --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 444 pages
• Publisher: Trafalgar Square; First Edition edition (September 17, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0773720375
• ISBN-13: 978-0091586300
• ASIN: 0091586305
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,429,462 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Frederick Forsyth is the author of fifteen novels and short-story collections. He lives in England.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Richly detailed, masterfully constructed., April 24, 2005

By 

Michael G. "mikefromrochester" (Rochester, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Fourth Protocol (Paperback)

The year is 1987. The place, London. Someone in the British Defense Ministry is funneling top secret military information to the Soviet Union. John Preston, a British intelligence agent of considerable skill, is handed the rather daunting task of finding out who is doing it and why.

Meanwhile, in Moscow, a diabolical plot is being hatched to bring Communist rule to the British Isles using the most nefarious of tactics.

Frederick Forsyth masterfully interweaves these two storylines using a narrative style that is detailed to the nth degree. The Fourth Protocal is highly suspenseful and filled with unexpected plot twists. Moreover, Forsyth dares to employ the unusual and somewhat risky technique of using a real life historical figure as one of the main characters....in this case the notorious double agent Kim Philby.

The Fourth Protocol is an extremely engaging, well crafted and meticulously researched cold war thriller that does not disappoint. It ranks right up there among the genre's finest.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cold War classic, May 9, 2004

By 

Cory D. Slipman (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fourth Protocol (Paperback)

Frederick Forsyth's "The Fourth Protocol" written in 1984 before the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. is a classic offering in the political thriller and espionage genre.

A by product of a jewel theft in London is the discovery that sensitive clandestine information has been traitorously pilfered by George Berenson, a member of the British Ministery of Defense.
High ranking agent of the British Secret Service, M15, John Preston has been assigned to plug the leak and evaluate the damage. Exhaustive investigation unearths a plot nurtured through a South African source and eminating from the very top of the Soviet government. British traitor, Harold Philby, now a colonel in the KGB, has inspired a plot approved by the Soviet Secretary General created to topple the reigning British government. A pact to avoid broaching the "fourth protocol" would be violated resulting in the establishment of the hard left, Communist sympathetic Labour Party as the rulers of the British government. The fourth protocol was part of a treaty signed by nuclear powers is avoid certain types of nuclear proliferation.

Forsyth creates a hard biting, chilling thriller that traverses through the highest channels of several governments. Such a scenario is still plausible in the tumultuous political climate existent today.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As good as "Day of the Jackal"....., March 6, 2002

By 

David Moss (St George, UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fourth Protocol (Paperback)

It's only my personal opinion.....but I think this is quite possibly Forsyth's best novel. From the seemingly innocent burglary at the start to the suspense filled denouement, it is flawless. If you only ever read one Forsyth novel...make it this one.