Rating: 
Summary: Typical Mario Puzo
Review: If you're a Mario Puzo fan, then this book will be enjoyable to you.It's an entertaining, good story. As with most of Puzo's books, it shows a different side of life than the one most of us are familiar with. I recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Puzo without the mafia? And it's still a good read?
Review: 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 sttory 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?
Rating: 
Summary: There's a reason this book is out of print.
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Exploration of Power
Review: Mario Puzo developed one dominant theme in all of his writings. The theme was man's acquisition and use of power. Whether it be the power of criminal connections in the Godfather and its sequels or of the President of the United States in the Fourth K, Puzo explored the notion in depth. The Fourth K was not a commercial success. At times it political thriller plot seems a little contrived but Puzo kept hammering on the notion of what absolute power can do to an essentially good man. Francis Kennedy becomes evil not through any particular desire to commit bad acts but through his desire to do good and out of a notion of caring for his country. When terrorists strike at the United States by kidnapping and killing the daughter of the President he uses his enormous power to exact his revenge and to make the world a better place. This use of power puts the President essentially on the same level as the terrorist. While the ending of this book is somewhat contrived, I feel that it is a book worth reading if you are a fan. However if you are interested in this genre there are better authors out there.
Rating:
Summary: A forgettable, unbelievable novel.
Review: Mario Puzo wrote one good book. This one is not it. Another Kennedy in the White House, another death, and some unbelievable terrorists all combine to make this book entirely forgettable. Unless you are a real Puzo fan, give this one a miss.
Rating: 
Summary: Awesome
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: What a waste of paper !
Review: The publisher must have thought that anything Puzo wrote was gold as this
appeared a few years ago and rightfully disappeared.
The main characters, Francis Xavier Kennedy, his friends and staff are completely unconvincing and cardboard cutouts.
The assassination of his daughter holds no suspense or regret as she is a cardboard character like the rest of them.
Needless characters and unnecessary plot lines appear to confuse the reader.
Remember that 1/3 of "The Godfather" was junk about Jules the doctor and his love affair with Sonny Corleone's lover.
The movie thankfully cut out the waste and was the better without it.
"The Fourth K" is all fat and no meat.
They are re-releasing it to coincide with
"The Godfather Returns" and terrorists assaults on US soil.
Avoid this book!
Rating:
Summary: Highly Entertaining Read, with Nostradamus-Like Prescience
Review: The young scion of a presidential family is in the White House. The country goes through an Impeachment, a war in the Persian Gulf, an Arab terrorist villified as the Devil on earth, and a horrific terrorist attack on Lower Manhattan. Sounds like the plot of a bad novel written about our times? Ah, but Puzo wrote this book FOURTEEN YEARS AGO, in 1989. The accuracy of this plot in describing our times is scary, haunting and downright amazing. The plot, Puzo's use of language, all the wild twists and turns, and Puzo's exploration of human character are even more so. Without a doubt one of the best novels written in the twentieth-century.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Entertaining Read, with Nostradamus-Like Prescience
Review: The young scion of a presidential family is in the White House. The country goes through an Impeachment, a war in the Persian Gulf, an Arab terrorist villified as the Devil on earth, and a horrific terrorist attack on Lower Manhattan. Sounds like the plot of a bad novel written about our times? Ah, but Puzo wrote this book FOURTEEN YEARS AGO, in 1989. The accuracy of this plot in describing our times is scary, haunting and downright amazing. The plot, Puzo's use of language, all the wild twists and turns, and Puzo's exploration of human character are even more so. Without a doubt one of the best novels written in the twentieth-century.
Rating: 
Summary: More like 3 and 1/2
Review: This book is very enjoyable while at the same time being very implausible. I personally do not think that another Kennedy would get elected in this day of conspiracy theories and suchlike. As books go it's main fault is that it over reaches, trying to be too many things all at the same time. It's main story line centers around a potentially deadly series of assignation attempts that include various world figures. There are also 3 sub plots that are pulled off with varying degrees of successes. I'm not saying that this isn't a good read, its just that when all is said and done and the book is finished you have a very unsatisfied feeling in the pit of your stomach. Don't forget that too much is going on all at once, things can get confussing.
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