The Fourth K (1990)

The Fourth K is a novel by Mario Puzo, published in 1990. It is set during the presidency of fictional "Francis Xavier Kennedy," nephew of John F., Robert F. and Ted Kennedy.

Plot summary

The novel begins with a world-weary President who has decided not to run for a second term in office, as his personal agenda has been picked apart by the United States Congress, lobbyists and the ominous The Socrates Group, made up of the richest and most influential men in America.

The assassination of the Pope and the kidnap and subsequent murder of Kennedy's daughter on Easter Sunday, and the discovery of a nuclear device in the heart of Manhattan have shocked the administration into action, and suddenly Francis Kennedy finds himself isolated by his opponents, who question his capacity to act under the 25th Amendment.

Once the crisis has passed, the President vows to change the face of American politics forever, proposing a radical left-wing economic agenda but with very right-wing methods of governance. The novel details Kennedy’s re-election campaign and his fight for his vision of the future.

Background

Mario Puzo has stated: "The Fourth K was a [commercial] failure—but it was my most ambitious book."