Leverage Point

by Gerald N. Lund

For an ordinary guy like Marc Jeppson, life has suddenly become dangerously complicated. A Latter-day Saint widower and professor of Arabic, he's hired by an arms dealer to help cinch a multimillion-dollar deal with Saudi Arabia. It's an opportunity of a lifetime, but the stakes get higher as he's pulled into the tumultuous world of international politics, big business, organized crime, and fast living. Is the deal worth the risk of losing his children and fiancee, or can Marc do the nearly Survive at the top long enough to save those he loves, help convict the criminals, and close the deal all without compromising his integrity and values?

Genres: Lds Fiction, Fiction, Lds, Mystery, Thriller, Adult, Young Adult

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Gerald N. Lund received his B.A. and M.S. degrees in sociology from Brigham Young University. He served for thirty-five years in the Church Educational System, and he served as a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy from 2002 to 2008. He is a prolific and bestselling author of both fiction and nonfiction and is best known for his historical novels, including The Work and the Glory series, Fire of the Covenant, The Kingdom and the Crown series, and The Undaunted. He and his late wife, Lynn, are the parents of seven children.

Reviews

[Charly Troff (JustaReadingMama) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read, though not my favorite by this author.

My favorite parts were the love triangle and the moral dilemma. The discussions leading up to it were all very interesting to me as well. It was about an arms dealer and all the politics that come with that, which isn't my usual type of book (so it was harder to get through those parts, but I think it's good for!).

Overall, I would definitely recommend.

[Lisa Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting book about a man who gets caught up in the world of intrigue. I especially loved it because it was an exciting adult novel, but it was free from bad language, etc.

[Melinda Christensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gerald N. Lund has written many inspirational books, but this time, he tries his hand with a mystery. Marc Jeppson is a professor of Arabic who is hired by a reputable arms dealer to help the company wrap up a huge deal with Saudi Arabia. Not realizing what he is in for, his employment takes him away from his two boys and his new fiance. Marc becomes involved in a world that he has never entered: big business, organized crime and international politics. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, he is concerned about doing the right thing. When his boss is hospitalized with a heart attack, he has the opportunity to do just that. The characters are well-drawn, the plot well-developed and exciting.
"... is all this talk of principle and integrity mere rhetoric, an expediency used only when it suits your convenience?"

[Kld2003 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an ok read, but after reading later books by Gerald Lund, you could tell this was written while still developing his writing skills. He is knowledgeable in Middle East history and shows the complexity of Israeli/Arab relations but the characters are very one dimensional to me. His later books are well written and well researched historical fiction. Still, this was a light summer read for me and I enjoyed the plot.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read- intense enough I didn’t want to put it down- borrowed this from my parents’ shelves.

[Book2Dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Leverage Point" was exciting and I had trouble putting it down. It does start a bit slow, and there are many characters. At first I thought I would have trouble keeping track of them, but it works out. He does provide a page of character references.
This is about international arms dealing and what goes on behind the scenes and behind closed doors. Mr. Lund includes a preface that says that the incidents that happen (which are pretty incredible and frightful) really happened, and happened to people, but names/places/etc. were changed for their protection. A great book. The ending a bit surprising, but it had me on the edge of my seat once it hit its pace. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who loves suspense, romance, politics, or CIA/FBI stories. I also highly recommend any of Mr. Lund's books.

[Maria Fledgling Author Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the midst of the unstable Middle East, Marc Jeppson must reconcile working with an arms dealer with his values and his fiancee and children. Will the money and the fast life outweigh the driving need to do what is right?

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very different kind of read than I would have expected and older from this author and I enjoyed reading it because it was different and also because I knew some of the places mentioned in the book.

[Joey Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy crap this book was amazing! There was such a lighthearted feel to it, while making you feel tense and eager for more. The characters have great personality and it ends extremely well!
I love the Middle East and this book explores its culture and it made me fall even more in love.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

This turned out to be an extremely good book.

[Derek Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great look into the life of a legal arms dealer. An interesting read.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book on perspective and setting one's priorities and values.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok, but not my favorite of his books. I probably would not read it again.

[Sharon Hogenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book, but definitely not a favorite.

[Karina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too manly for me...took awhile to finish. Reminded me of an action movie I'd watch to make my husband happy.

[Richard R · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good to see how they could work together with the Jews and the Arabs.

[Linnae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marc Jeppson is a professor of Near Eastern studies, although he's gone back to night school for his MBA. He's also a widower with two young boys to care for. Then life gets interesting. His housekeeper has a hospital visit and sends her daughter to take her place in the meantime. Her 20-something, warm, cute, and friendly daughter.

Then his name is chosen out of a database by an arms dealer, who needs someone with the language and cultural fluency to help seal a deal with Saudi Arabia. Marc fits the bill, and before he knows it he is sucked into a world of high stakes, fast-paced, tough ethical decisions.

Marc is going to have choose where he stands, before he has nothing left to stand on, and no-one left beside him.

Suspenseful and exciting. What I loved most about it was Marc's integrity under immense pressure and the connected message: choosing the right when it's really tough will always pay off in the end. Even if he would have had to go back to his [boring] old life, he could have done so at peace with himself.

[G (galen) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mulit-billion dollar Saudia Arabian corporations, both all-out-sleazy and semi-sleazy American movers and shakers, Israeli special ops (and an Israeli philosopher thrown in to boot)... What's a nice guy like Mark Jeppson think he's getting into?

Now, at one point in the novel Jeppson, just for kicks, starts coming up with two-word adjectives to describe the people around him (like "iced mink" for the super-model trophy wife). One can't help but wonder if Author Gerald Lund did much more in creating these characters.

And I wasn't sure weather to roll my eyes or be seriously offended at Lund's depiction of a business meeting between Saudi CEO's where they spout pithy Arabic sounding idioms back and forth to arrive at their decision.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like Gerald Lund's fictional stories. They always teach a strong moral and don't involve the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints. Most LDS authors can be a little offensive in how they just throw the church into their books, but Lund does not do that. This book is a little more complex than his other fictions. It involves a lot of different characters and was a little confusing at first, but I was glad I read it. It makes me wonder how much corruption goes on in our world using the principle of Leverage.

[Andralynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably more like 2.5 stars, but I felt like rounding up. There is a ton of setup to get to the real meat of this story, and there are a ton of characters involved in that setup. That makes for a bit of a slow start. It took me awhile to get into it, and I just wasn't finding myself really caring about any of the characters until probably halfway through the book.

It's a pretty complicated story, but it is interesting once you get into it. It just takes a bit to get to that point.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fair to middling adventure yarn with some interesting points to be made about the notion of leverage, as it is applied in the business world and in negotiation. Also, some mildly interesting interpositions of cultural dramatics. Basically entertaining escapist fare, set at the intersection of two cultures.

[Whit · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some reason I thought that this book was going to be another Sci Fi (like his book Alliance). Somewhere in my reading, I realized this was not the case. I enjoyed the book a lot. You can tell that this was one of his earlier books - as it is not nearly as polished as his later works but I think he is an excellent story teller and that kept me reading and enjoying.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book from Deseret Book for 3.99 and it was REALLY good. If anyone wants to borrow it just let me know.The story is about a middle-aged widower with two boys who gets recruited into a worldly business of leveraging to make a multi-million dollar deal happen. This book is based on a true story.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit, this book was a little hard to get into at first, and there were a few times I almost put it down. But then the different groups of players started to become connected to each other and the pace accelerated rapidly, and in the end, I had a really hard time putting it down. I don't normally go for international suspense novels, but I ended up really enjoying this one!

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite of his. It brings a real life question of morality into the integral setting of arms deals. This book handles topics of morality and dealling with others that do not share our standards.

[Lewestover · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised that the author, who is best known for his historical fiction, would write something so current in its topic. "Leverage Point" enters the world of arms dealers and big money, with intrigue, romance, and moral dilemmas. I quite enjoyed the book.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't believe I haven't added this before now. One of my read-again-every-once-in-a-while books. Well written story of the world of arms dealers. Integrity in business - any oxymoron? Really enjoy this book.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. I like the way Lund writes--enough detail to get into the fabric of the story without boring the reader. I wanted to see what happened next. Many plots going on with a 'James Bond' kind of ending.

[Joanne]

I read this book years ago and loved its suspense, light romance and the excitement right to the very end. After reading it the second time I named my son( born at the time I finished) Leverage....I know but its true.