List $25.00

Written by Jeffrey Archer - Audio book performed by Martin Jarvis - Abridgement approved by author - 4 CASSETTES - 6 hours

Publisher, Harper Audio (1996)

"Jeffrey Archer is one of the top ten storytellers in the world." --Los Angeles Times

In The Fourth Estate, a stunning display of storytelling reminiscent of his blockbuster Kane & Abel, Jeffrey Archer creates two extraordinary protagonists whose life stories could have come from today's headlines and pits them against each other as each strives to be the first to create a global media empire and become the most powerful man on earth.

Lubji Hoch breaks the bonds of his humble beginnings as the son of an illiterate Jewish peasant, changes his name to Richard Armstrong, and ultimately finds himself in Berlin, where his sharp mind and killer instincts win him the opportunity to head up a floundering newspaper. As rival papers in the city fail in the wake of his ruthlessness, he is poised to move on to even greater things.

On the other side of the world, in Australia, Keith Townsend, son of a millionaire newspaper owner, is being groomed to follow in his father's footsteps. Private schools, an Oxford degree, and a position at a London newspaper lead him to the day he takes over the family business. His energy and bold strategic thinking quickly make him the leading newspaper publisher in Australia. Yet he, too, longs to move onto the world stage.

Armstrong's and Townsend's ambitions collide on a global scale. Each controls a mass circulation British tabloid and a New York daily newspaper that is losing money. Each suddenly finds himself threatened by financial disaster brought on by enormous debts. Both become desperate to save their crumbling empires.

The Fourth Estate is the contemporary and compelling story of two men who, though they come from totally different backgrounds, stand face-to-face on the highest precipice, prepared to risk everything to beat each other and control the biggest media empire in the world.