Very in depth, very good, but definitely could have “chopped out some of the fat”. Definitely an interesting read, especially in light of the times. ( )

Výborně napsaný, inteligentní a napínavý současný román - tématem je dramatické líčení událostí, které vedly ke spiknutí a posléze k atentátu na fiktivního amerického prezidenta, jenž je obdařen vlastnostmi i jménem rodu Kennedyů. Kniha je nabita širokou škálou dnešních podob násilí, od těch se zbraní v ruce až k těm, které jsou prováděny v rukavičkách. Autora zaujaly intriky společnosti nejvýznamnějších amerických miliardářů, kteří svými penězi ovládají americký Kongres.

Y ase ha pasado la frontera del año 2000. El palestino Yabril ha tramado la operación terrorista más audaz de todos los tiempos: simultáneamente, el asesinato del Papa y el rapto de la hija del presidente de Estados Unidos. Su finalidad: humillar el prestigio de esta gigantesca potencia a los ojos del mundo. Sin embargo, a pesar del éxito de la doble operación, el presidente estadounidense Francis Kennedy acierta a defender la dignidad de su país. Enfrentado no sólo a los terroristas sino también a la hostilidad de las grandes fortunas y a las consecuencias de comportamientos irresponsables catastróficos, Kennedy sabrá zafarse del acoso de un universo convulso hasta una última, definitiva y trágica victoria.

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A terrorist group murders the Pope in the Vatican. On the same day, the daughter of Francis Xavier Kennedy, the President of the United States, is abducted in Rome by members of the same terrorist group. Kennedy's daughter is brought the oil-country of Sherhaben where she is held hostage. When President Kennedy learns of the abduction he is willing to do everything in his power to get his daughter back. The terrorist Yabril, however, has different plans and kills Kennedy's daughter in front of TV cameras in order to make a statement. From there on the story unfolds. How will the US act? How will Kennedy act personally? What will happen to the terrorists? What will happen to the Sultanate of Sherhaben which backed the terrorists?

Puzo's The Fourth K follows president Francis Xavier Kennedy, a cousin of JFK, through the final part of his first term in office and the bid to his re-election for a second term. At the same time it explores the different forces of influence on power in America. There is the so-called Socrates Club of the one-hundred most influential and wealthy men in the US, there is Olliver Ollifant, called the Oracle, who has just turned one-hundred years old and wields more power than any man in the Socrates Club, there are the foreign terrorists, and eventually there is President Kennedy and the other politicians who want to set the course of the American future as they see fit. The different factions all have their own agendas, some hidden and some very open.

What I like about the novel are the different perspectives and the interplay between the different groups who want to get a grasp on or maintain their grasp on power. The novel was a very entertaining read and a real page-turner towards the end. What bugged me, though, was the many spelling mistakes. It might just have been my edition, but this edition could have benefited from more serious editing. As this was only a minor distraction in an otherwise enjoyable novel: 3.5 stars. ( )