Hi Friends,

The Fourth Estate is no doubt the best novel of Archer. This is one novel that is full of everything that can be there in a possible best seller. It is a very satisfying read and very well organized. The story is long but has a grip of steel. One can not ask for more, Archer has possibly given every drop of his talent and numerous painstaking hours of research to write this great novel.

The Fourth Estate is a term that is used for media, generally newspapers. It was used long back in 18th century and Jeffrey Archer has given a note regarding the same fact in the starting of the novel. When I picked up this book, I was guessing that this novel might be about media and newspapers and that proved correct the moment I opened the book, because fortunately I knew that the term Fourth Estate is used for media. After that pleasant surprise, everything proved correct, I mean, whatever I expected out of Archer was there.

Lust a few things about the story; there are two main characters in the story named Keith Townsend and Richard Armstrong or Dick.

There are two stories going side by side, one of Dick and the other of Keith. Dick is born deep in Europe and is a Jew. Keith is born in Australia. The story goes telling the tale of poor Dick or Lubji as he was called when he was born to a poor Jew family. Escaping the tormenting of Hitler and the bloody second World War how Lubji escaped death and changed his name to John Player and later to Richard and climber to rank of Captain in British Army from being just a private. Later the story moves to tell how Captain Richard Armstrong built a great media empire called Armstrong Communications.

Simultaneously, the tale of Keith Townsend goes on. He was born in Australia to Sir Graham Townsend. Then Keith went to study in Oxford in England and later when he came back he took over control of his father?s newspaper after his father died. He made the paper successful while the paper was about to go bankrupt. Then he went on a buying spree and made the biggest media empire in Australia called Global Corp.

Archer tells two completely separate tales very beautifully and with a style that is unique. Then he merges the two stories with such precision that the reader can only want to read what happens next!!

The war between Armstrong and Keith is to become the greatest media czar in the world. Both are great entrepreneurs with talent and a burning desire to control the greatest media empire in the world. They both fight deadly war amongst themselves and in this duel only one can survive.
In the latter part of the story both are fighting each other purchasing media companies and newspapers in Britain and America.

But the question is that who will win? Because while both of these men have great courage and minds at the same time they both are great gamblers! Both of them have put their whole lives on stake to own the biggest media empire of the world. But who will be victorious at last?
I leave this question to you. Read and find out because it really hurts to reveal such a beautifully written story. I have every reason to believe that you will enjoy this story like anything.

This is 500 plus page novel loaded with every kind of twist and turn you can imagine. The story is very fast and with a grip of steel. It is so thoroughly enjoyable that you just can not stop reading it. While at the same time we can get a feel of the newspaper industry and how certain things are done and what can be possible problems entrepreneurs might have faced in history because the story starts from around WW II and ends up around 1991.

Completely enjoyable and satisfying read.
Go ahead and just read it, don?t wait.

Happy Reading,
Mr. Gautam

Plot Revealed In The Review:	Somewhat revealed
Purchase Price (INR):	No Comment
Purchased From:	I did not buy at all