Leviathan & the Lambs

Leviathan & the Lambs is the third and final book in the Arthur Stone series, which also includes Marshland and Peace at Battle Mountain. The first two books in the series take Arthur Stone from his days as a young lawyer often unsure of himself to an accomplished trial lawyer. Each novel involves, a financial disaster, murders, economic crime, and seen and unseen spiritual realities. In Leviathan & the Lambs a complex financial crisis once again impacts Arthur Stone, his family, colleagues, and friends. In this case, greed, excessive lending, risk-taking, and economic manipulation on Wall Street are hurting not just Texas but the entire nation and world. As always, when the stakes are high, some people turn to violence. Finally, Arthur faces his most dangerous enemy yet one of the most powerful men on earth and his financial empire. Leviathan & the Lambs covers the period from the start of the Great Financial Crisis of 2007-8 to the end of a lawsuit that followed a few years later. Arthur Stone is now the Attorney General of Texas. His oldest child, Murray, has finished college and is working in New York City. A friend of Murray dies under mysterious circumstances. When Arthur, Gwynn, and their son attend the funeral, he meets the family of the young man who ask him to look into the matter. What he finds is disturbing. Back in Texas, the state feels the impact of the meltdown int the mortgage-backed securities industry which is causing the failure of some of the most important financial institutions in the nation. In addition, homeowners and private investors are losing money, Eventually, Arthur becomes involved in a prosecuting a securities fraud case involving one of the wealthiest and most politically powerful men in the world, Oliver Wolfe, and his principal company, Leviathan Securities. In Oliver Wolfe, Arthur faces his most dangerous opponent. At the same time, Arthur must decide whether or not to run for governor of Texas. His family is still coping with problems of his earlier life. Personally, Arthur faces his own feelings of personal failure and hopelessness. He is burned out and unsure if his life is on the right path. The continuing distance between himself and Gwynn, his ex-wife, is symptomatic of his failure and inability to put her before his restless ambition. Is this Arthur Stone's final case? Now in late middle age and tired of public life, he faces what seems to be a hopeless situation. He hopes to restore his family, but fate continually intervenes. As the story unfolds, not only is Arthur's life in jeopardy, but his family and friends are also affected. Fortunately, Gwynn, his closest advisor, along with friends and colleagues from the past, comes to his rescue. As always, in the background, spiritual forces are at work in the lives of people as far apart as Crete, Israel, Mexico, Scotland, and Vietnam. Spiritual forces of light and darkness are gathering in anticipation of conflict. What is on the surface just another mystery may involve bigger issues.