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The Fourth Estate cover art

The Fourth Estate

By: Jeffrey Archer
Narrated by: Jonathan Aris
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Publisher's Summary

Lubji Hoch escapes from the Nazis, moves to Berlin and changes his name to Richard Armitage. After a successful career in the British Army, he takes over a struggling newspaper and with unrivalled ruthlessness begins building his media empire.

Meanwhile, Keith Townsend, the son of a millionaire and Oxford educated, returns to Australia from London to take over his father's newspaper with similar ambitions.

As both men move their quest for power to the world stage, they realise they are more than a match for one another's brilliance and ambition. Their rivalry leads them to the brink of financial ruin and finally to the ultimate showdown where one will become the world’s most powerful man, and the other will succumb to tragedy.

Based on the rivalry between media moguls Rupert Murdoch and Robert Maxwell, this fast-paced, suspenseful thriller full of status, corruption and deceit will captivate fans of Archer's blockbuster Kane and Abel.

The Fourth Estate is narrated by Jonathan Aris, a British television, film and theatre actor. He has appeared in Sherlock, the Night Manager alongside Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie, and played the angelic quartermaster in Good Omens.

Jeffrey Archer is a bestselling British author and former politician. He was educated at Oxford and went on to become a Member of Parliament, the deputy chair of the Conservative Party as well as sitting in the House of Lords. His political career ended in scandal and he turned to writing, where he has been published in over 250 countries.

He is perhaps most famous for the "Clifton Chronicles" and his blockbuster Kane and Abel which was number one on the New York Times Bestseller list and inspired a popular miniseries starring Peter Strauss and Sam Neill.

After he was imprisoned for perjury in 2001, he wrote his highly acclaimed non-fiction series, Prison Diaries - Hell, Purgatory and Heaven - which were inspired by his experiences and loosely structured around Dante’s Inferno.

©2021 SAGA Egmont (P)2021 SAGA Egmont

What listeners say about The Fourth Estate

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  • gg
  • 02-07-2021

disappointing

struģgled to finish ,read as if a ghost writer had been supplied with a plot to expand upon.

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  • Overall
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wonderful

i loved it. so many twists and turns. hope you enjoy thus book too.

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  • PJP
  • 28-03-2022

Jeffrey Archer always delivers

Detailing probably one of the most fascinating events in the newspaper publishing world. My journey to work was over in a flash each day. Do yourself a favour and strap in for the ride.

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Average

The narration was good but a little disappointed that the narrator didn't check the pronunciation of local place names. Almost every city in Australia was pronounced wrong but still in a decent Aussie accent.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Too long

An interesting book for the history, but it became too long for me.
I was not invested enough in the characters to do the second half of the book.

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One of JA's best books

I really enjoyed the two main characters in this book. I just couldn't stop listening. The storylines were fascinating and i was really disappointed when it ended. Thanks for this great book.

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The fourth estate

Such a great read, or should I say listen, Jeffery Archer can spin a great yarn.

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A great read

Great story was fascinating from start to finish. Beautifully narrated by Jonathan Aris. Great author and very talented narrator.

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Great Adventure.

Having never read Jeffrey Archer before, and not quite understanding his style, I found it hard to follow at first, as it seemed like 2 novels in one, then of course it all came together, becoming a story that I couldn't put down.. sudden ending though, but a great book all the same, I'll be looking for more from this author.

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Excellent narrator

The narrator has a great range of accents and brought every character to life.

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