The Fourth K

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. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Edward Kennedy.

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 Socrates Group, made up of the richest and most influential men in America.

The assassination of the Pope on Good Friday, 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.

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.

The novel's emphasis is on the characters. The reader learns about a character's background when he/she has to make a major decision. Critics have stated that, once the book has focused on a particular character, he/she is relegated to the background and never again returns to prominence.

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