Rating: 
Summary: Too much stuff going on at once
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing prescience
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: A well-crafted, readable book
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A well-crafted, readable book
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: THE PRESIDENTIAL CRISIS THAT WILL KEEP YOU TURNING PAGES
Review: If you like novels in which the President of the United States is central to the plot this one's for you. Mario Puzo could always tell a good story, and this one is no exception. (By the way, this book dealt with an impeachment process LONG before Bill Clinton became president.)
Good summer reading. I hope you enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: THE PRESIDENTIAL CRISIS THAT WILL KEEP YOU TURNING PAGES
Review: If you like novels in which the President of the United States is central to the plot this one?s for you. Mario Puzo could always tell a good story, and this one is no exception. (By the way, this book dealt with an impeachment process LONG before Bill Clinton became president.)
Good summer reading. I hope you enjoy it.
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: 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: 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.
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