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Cause for Alarm
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Plot Summary of Cause for Alarm
"The main character gets a job making machines that manufacture shells in Italy during fascist rule in the 1930's after his predessesor is killed in suspicious circumstances. He is approached by a general claiming to be working for the Yugoslavian government but he is actually a German who wants to use him as a spy. He then inadvertantly ends up working for a Soviet spy and has to flee from the Italian secret police."
Frances McFadden, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Cause for Alarm
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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 - 10%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 40%




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
Who's the terrorist enemy here? - nazis!

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - engineer
Age: - 40's-50's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How much violence does he/she use? - none
Ethnicity/Race - British
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - an organization
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some
Motive of antagonist - power
The antagonists are: - nazis

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - Italy

Style
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 1
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to Cause for Alarm
Garden of Beasts by Jeffery Deaver
The Himmler Equation by William P. Kennedy
The Last Frontier by Alistair MacLean
The Ministry of Fear by Graham Greene
Enigma by Robert Harris


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Eric Ambler Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Karen Boyd  

SCHOLARS:
Frances McFadden  


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