The Fourth K

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.

Puzo once again showed his skills as an awesome character developer and as an author who doesn't put together a predictable ending.

Read this book.

I felt that following this book was quite easy, especially if you are familiar with the works of the government and the ins and outs of the DC area. Was not able to get to the end before the end.

This book was absolutely great! It is kind of chilling, since this book was written in the early nineties, but deals with a lot of issues that we face in contemporary America (impeachment of a president, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, war in the Middle East).

The story takes place through a few different characters, who are all somehow intertangled. It is hard to describe the story without giving away too much...but it is definately a great read!

When this book came out in the early 90's I had no idea it was on the shelves. Then I walk into a book store and there it was! You have to remember when this was released; the silver anniversary of JFK's death was only a couple years earlier, and Godfather Part III the movie was just released or within a year before publication of this book. So the two story lines seemed to meld into a unbelievable Puzo mix!
My hands were shaking this book was so good the night I started reading it. Then 10 yers later, Clinton Impeached, terrorism internationally on the rise, destruction of Middleastern countries and to top it off, 911.
This has it all plus written by the King of American Pulp fiction.