Dos gigantes de la prensa y un mundo demasiado pequeño para contener sus encontradas ambiciones. El cuarto poder es una novela de acción y una parábola sobre el ansia de dominio. Es una mágica mezcla de tensión y verosimilitud.

If you enjoy Paul Erdman, Michael Ridpath & Arthur Hailey's books on business, you will likely enjoy The Fourth Estate.

It's a fictionalised account of the lives of Robert Maxwell (Richard Armstrong in the book) and Rupert Murdoch (Keith Townsend in the book). Whilst being a fictionalised account some events are skimmed over, other dramatised, et cetera, it nonetheless is a compelling read that paints both men in a not particularly favourable light.

Robert Maxwell for those unaware is the father of Ghislaine Maxwell who got herself tangled up with Jeffrey Epstein - I shall let the reader decide for themselves if the lack of ethical behaviour recounted in the book reflects on the daughter of the man in any way.

At any rate, it's a good tale that illustrates the bitterness between the two men and their rather ruthless, at times unethical, business practices, as well as highlighting the illegal behaviour on the behalf of Robert Maxwell/Richard Armstrong.

Would recommend if you enjoy business novels. ( )

Another classic from Archer, Brilliant the way he brings an element of non-fiction into his literature. Thoroughly enjoyable ( )

It's been a long time in coming, but at last I've got my first 5/5 book of the year. Jeffrey Archer's books, unlike most authors', had always been available to me when I was growing up in the mid 90's. I remember those times. Curiously, though I had been aware of some of his writings (Kane and Abel), I naively thought that writers like him were common in the world. How wrong was I. So, instead of saving up my money to buy his books, I bought instead French and Belgian comics. Stuff like Gaston Lagaffe and Lucky Luke and Asterix.

I queerly don't regret the time I let elapse to discover Archer's works. I am now in a position to fully savor Archer's storytelling prowess. The Fourth Estate, throughout its length duped us into thinking that the struggle between two press magnates would end up in a draw - in the end, if not during their blow by blow account. The end was stunning. The wordsmith that is Archer has had me hooked these past few days when I was engrossed in reading this book. But it's not a universally acclaimed novel.

It's a novel that was maybe meant for people who appreciate raw, page turning fun. I appreciated the small cares gone into the book...such as giving some lines to describing Townsend's and Hoch's first sexual experiences, then ditching the lurid details as they grew up in maturity and sophistication. I liked how Archer made two unlikable characters be heroes of this book. I was not even once against these chaps and their actions. For me that happens very rarely. I enjoyed the chapters switching alternatively between Armstrong and Townsend, then merging these two arcs so that I had to pay attention as to what was happening. Most of all I liked the style of the book. I had once been physically sick while reading a book. Well, with the Fourth Estate, aesthetically, it was like having ice cream for every meal. Archer is fast gaining to become my favorite writer. Baldacci better beware. I need to ration these books so they don't get read too fast. Truly the 90's were a treasured decade for authors. Simply because the generation that saw out WW2, could have the conclusion of their lives based in that special decade. Can't wait to read more of Jeffrey Archer's books. ( )

This book is a fictionalised story, not even thinly disguised, about the real media moguls, Robert Maxwell and Rupert Murdoch. In the book they are Richard Armstrong and Keith Townsend. You therefore wonder if this should be considered fiction or a biography. Either way it's not too bad a read but is a big story, though not a very deep story as it does seem to skim through some events and characters.

( )