THE FIFTH ESTATE

by Robin Moore ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 1973

In five years,"" mob-orchestrator Ciano tells his latest WASP recruit Brad Kendall, ""[my] fifth estate will elect a President of the United States."" Brad functions dutifully, fascinated by Ciano's paramilitary prospectus for a take-over bringing iron law, order and the cropping of undesirables. He is also a dazed witness to the machine at work: the politically expedient manipulation of the drug trade; an intricate international laundry operation for dirty money; and even the stage-managing of the attempted assassination of Governor Wallace (via Ciano's psychiatrist who grooms nuts). But when Brad's daughter dies of an overdose by a minor league Ciano man who should have known better (he is tortured and killed), Brad, the scales fallen from his hitherto clouded eyes, is on his way to defect. The only Ciano holdout is the cop Kenney, ""honest, uncompromising,"" whose own morality comes from somewhere well below the badge: ""If we could get rid of a million niggers we could end the dope problems. . . ."" In iris heart he must have known Ciano was right. Headed for a sleazy-easy coup of the drug store racks.

Pub Date: June 1, 1973

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1973

Categories: FICTION