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A Game Of Spies
John Altman Book Review

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Plot Summary of A Game Of Spies
"

Putnam, Feb 2002, 25.95, 256 pp.
ISBN: 039914837X

    In 1939, M16 espionage agent William Hobbs seduces naive twenty-year old German Eva Bernhardt to work undercover in Germany spying for the British. After obtaining Eva's cooperation, William callously drops her leaving her at the mercies of M16, who believe Eva is the prefect person to drop in Berlin to learn when and where Hitler's invasion of France is to begin. The Nazis hope to uncover British moles to use them to transmit misinformation to the Allies.

    In 1940, Eva hates both the Nazis and the British for their callous misuse of people. She is trying to obtain invasion information from Otto Klinger, a person who might have a grudge against the Nazis. However, the German Secret Service know Eva works for the British and plan to use her as a courier for disinformation to fool their enemies. Hobbs, who arranged a kidnapping of himself in Holland by the Gestapo, realizes the Nazis are using Eva as a pawn. He now knows he loves Eva and will risk his life to insure her safety even as the Nazis pursue him.

    In his debut tale, A GATHERING OF SPIES, John Altman provided espionage fans with a taut World War II thriller. His second novel, A GAME OF SPIES is even better as readers receive a powerful historical spy tale that never slows down as both sides use people as fodder in a deadly game of trump. Fans of the genre will want to read this superb World War II novel that brings the era alive through the actions and reactions of a powerful ensemble.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of A Game Of Spies
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 60%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%




Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story: - 1930's-1950's
Spying/Terrorism Thriller Yes
Cloak & Dagger Plotlets: - main char. spying/sabotage
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
War-time military intelligence mission? Yes
Who's the terrorist enemy here? - evil subgroup in own govt

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - spy
How much violence does he/she use? - just the right amount
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - an organization
Profession/status: - spy
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist - power
The antagonists are: - nazis

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - Germany
Misc setting - fancy mansion

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 3-4
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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