President Francis Xavier Kennedy is elected to office, thanks largely to the legacy of his forebearers -- good looks, privilege, wealth. He is the very embodiment of youthful political optimism.

But the political process gets to him and, unbelievably for intimates and the public alike, he suffers something very like a personality change. When a terrorist targets his daughter, Kennedy responds with bloody decision. Not for nothing has he studied the killings of his two famous uncles.

"Puzo's best since THE GODFATHER. Tightly plotted, fast-paced, compelling." (People)