Customer Reviews

The Fourth K (Thorndike Press Large Print Basic Series)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Francis Xavier Kennedy, nephew of the slain JFK/RFK has ascended the presidency due, in no small part, to his family name, his political instincts, and his near-adolescent idealisim.

During Holy Week it seems as if the world is falling apart at the seems. The Pontiff has been assasinated, and FXK's daughter has been kidnapped by Muslim extremists and then executed in cold blood.

FXK devises a response that he feels is commensurate with the crimes committed, and one that is befitting defending the honor of the most powerful nation on earth. There is one little snag; an imperial congress, motivated purely by greed,political opportunism, and a visceral hatred for the CINC,is poised to declare him non compus mentis and have him impeached.

An incident of 9/11 proportions takes place in New York that changes the entire dynamic of this political opportunism/intrigue and FXK adresses an emergency session of a join-session of Congress, and is spared the ignominy of being removed from office. Puzo's prescience here is uncanny; a nation in crisis after a terrorist event, a zealous President/Justice Department eager to preserve the Union, to the point of using draconian measures...it is all there, prophetically so. Eerie.

Puzo spins a yarn like no other. His scenarios/character; development/plots, sub-plots are woven into an exciting, breathtaking tapestry that takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride; the thrill of a lifetime. There are so many twists and turns it is likely to give a less engaged reader the literary equivalent of motion sickness. Dialogue is crisp, sometimes raw, and cynical. The stuff a poltical thriller is made of.

Some have decried this work as being a little contrived, but Puzo has a knack for tying up all of the loose ends and leaving the reader satisfied after he/she has read the novel.

A first-class piece of literature.

I enjoyed this book, but there just seemed like there was too much weird stuff going on to really believe or follow. It also seemed a little far-fetched at times. I liked the insite that Puzo gave when describing the criminals and the president of the US. I would describe this book to my friends as a decent read, but would not recommend.

I gather that Puzo wrote this book long before 9/11. The narrative is spooky in that it parallels that event and the conspiracies that followed. The concern for loss of civil rights; the never ending central factor of the Israel-Palestine conflict; the bombing to rubble of a middle east capital city.
All of this, read in light of what followed, would speak to Puzo's grasp of international skulduggery, long before most of us anticipated the coming tragedies. On this basis, alone, it is well worth reading.

It's hard to believe this book was written by the author of The Godfather. This one falls far, far short of that classic in terms of plot, character development, and any other criterion you can name. It was one of those books that I regretted having continued to the end.

I'm not surprised that reviews for this book were mixed. Writing The Godfather gave Puzo a tremendous reputation to live up to. But make no mistake, he is a very fine writer, and this book is a good one. It is easy to read, interesting, and contains a good plot and sub-plots. The characters are well portrayed, and there is a good deal of suspense. Well worth reading.

From the moment you pick it up it pulls you into its dark, cynical world, and then you put it down, and turn on the news and realize that its world is much, much like your own.

This book has a great premise and looks at the powerplay of Washington and the rich in the US, sadly the ending let the book down. You are kept engaged and turning the pages throughout this book, but the ending leaves a little to be desired and the way certain characters behave is out of character, so to speak. Puzo gets a little lost for fifty or so pages in the middle as well. The problem is that being so spoilt with the Godfather and other mafia related books, you expect such a high standard from puzo, that this book lets you down slightly. Saying that, this is a good political thriller and a good couple of days reading.

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This book needs to be in an alternate world setting. Kennedy is overused. ALso another kennedy thinking that he can rule congress and get votes is impossible in this reality. I would not bother unless you want a fairy tale that becomes cumbersome in it's fantasticness and characters just bouncing along to their determined fate.the ending seemed kinda sad but predictable. Though a woman for president, if we make is so far, isn't to far off I hope.

Inconsistent storyline, incoherent language, unrealistic events. Enough to make reader ponder that sometimes Puzo is overrated.

In this novel Puzo steps out of his standard world of massive corruption (mafia), into another, politics. The book is fast moving and if you read the cover jacket it only tells about the first quarter of the book. There is much more. It is a story of a man who tries his best to be a decent man, but after a string of horrible events that ruin everything he has once held dear, he slowly makes the transition to "the dark side". With subtle change you watch the character of Francis Kennedy turn from a man of honor to a man of evil. Some of the elements of the book are completely unbelievable, but isn't that what fiction is for?