Cause For Alarm

by Erica Spindler

On This Page

Description

Kate and Richard Ryan have the perfect marriage--marred only by their inability to have a child. The adoption agency's call fulfills that dream...and opens the door to a nightmare....

Julianna Starr has chosen Kate and Richard to be more than the parents of her child. For Richard is the man of her fantasies, the one she's been waiting for. Stalking the couple, Julianna molds herself in Kate's image and insinuates herself into Richard's life, determined to tear their perfect marriage apart.

show more But for Kate and Richard, the nightmare has only begun. Because Julianna is not alone. From her dark past comes a man of unspeakable evil....

No one is safe--not even the innocent child Kate and Richard call their own.

.
show less

Tags

Recommendations

Member Reviews

4 reviews
Visiting my local book store I searched for Erica Spindler novels as I’m a devoted fan and reader. Cause for Alarm was calling out my name and it didn’t take me long to read it once I got it home.

Published in 2005 I’m still not sure how this novel, and author, stayed hidden from me for so long but now that I’ve read a few of her books I need to read them all.

Life was perfect for so many of the characters in this novel and yet the underlying feeling it gave me was that even smiles can hide sadness.

Kate and Richard have the perfect life – money, love, a long future together. The only thing missing for Kate is a baby, for Richard the role of District Attorney and for both a good friend who was caught in the middle. Kate loved show more both men, for different reasons, but when Richard asked her to marry him she said yes, not realizing this may have been done for all the wrong reasons. I’m sure we’ve all looked back and wondered if we did the right thing when it comes to marriage, Kate is just being bombarded with reasons why she didn’t.

Discovering Richard’s inability to have a child didn’t stop the couple from having a family and Richard, although obviously and cruelly hesitant (to the readers, not Kate), agreed to adoption which happened much faster for them then he would have liked. Julianna, the mother of their child, came from a twisted relationship and trusted all would be righted by giving her child to Kate before whisking Richard away on her fantasy.

Hired killers, hired lovers, assassins, a best-selling author, coffee shop owner and lawyer make up the main characters of this book and are all so different each reader can fall in love, pretend to be, and hate their own one. The story also made me appreciate the humdrum and romance of my own life and inspires me to think outside the coffee cup when it comes to my future.

Thanks Erica Spindler, it was a ride I’ll never forget!

And, as always, thank you for reading,

Sarah Butland
show less
Cause for Alarm

Richard and Kate Ryan agree that the time is right to add to their family. But, there is a glitch in their timeline. Kate is unable to get pregnant. They go through various testings to no avail. Kate and Richard finally agree to go through the adoption process.

Julianna is the girl who does not want to be pregnant. Her lover wants her to get an abortion. She is at a crossroads in her life and is unsure of what she wants to do about the baby. She visits with a doctor about her situation and to get vitamins. He also informs her about an adoption agency where they will pay for doctor bills and living expenses. She really likes this idea since she will not have to work anymore. She visits with the agency where she agrees to show more put her baby up for adoption.

There is a twist in this story though. She chooses Kate and Richard to be the parents of her child. She falls in love with their lifestyle and for their background. Julianna is not only thinking of her child but for herself as well. You see, she fell in love in Richard too and will do everything in her power to get him.

I really enjoyed this book. I have read several adoption stories in this past but nothing like this. This was my first Erica Spindler read and will be reading more of her books.
show less
Lang geleden gekocht en gelezen. Ondanks dat de achterflap een spannend boek belooft, weet ik het niet meer zo. Herlezen en dan een recensie schrijven.
Een jong kinderloos echtpaar krijgt de mogelijkheid een baby te adopteren en grijpt die kans met beide handen aan. Wanneer ze het kleine meisje in hun armen kunnen sluiten, denken ze de kroon op hun gelukkige huwelijk te hebben gezet

Maar de biologische moeder van de baby heeft deze ouders niet voor niets uitgekozen. Eén blik op een foto van de toekomstige vader, en ze wist dat dit de man was op wie ze haar hele leven had gewacht.

Totaal geobsedeerd, dringt ze het leven binnen van de kersverse ouders - die hun droom langzaam maar zeker in een angstaanjagende nachtmerrie zien veranderen.

Members

Recently Added By

Lists

Books Read in 2007
323 works; 8 members
Books Read in 2006
417 works; 8 members
Books I have Recommended
207 works; 1 member

Author Information

Picture of author.
66+ Works 7,332 Members
A New York Times and International bestselling author, critics have called Erica Spindler's stories, "terrific twisted tales." She received the prestigious Daphne du Maurier award for Excellence in 2002 for the novel, Bone Cold, and she is a two-time Kiss of Death award winner. She lives in the New Orleans area with her husband, an advertising show more executive, and their two sons. (Publisher Provided) show less

Erica Spindler is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing.

Some Editions

Trouw, Mieke (Translator)

Common Knowledge

Original title
Cause for Alarm
Original publication date
1999
People/Characters
John Powers; Julianna Starr; Kate Ryan; Richard Ryan; Luke Dallas; Sylvia Starr
Important places
Washington, D.C., USA; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Mandeville, Louisiana, USA; Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, USA; Louisiana, USA
Dedication
For my sons
First words
Light blazed from every window of Kate and Richard Ryan's grand old home on Mandeville's Lakeshore Drive.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"I think I'm the lucky one"

Classifications

Genre
Fiction and Literature
DDC/MDS
813.54Literature & rhetoricAmerican literature in EnglishAmerican fiction in English1900-19991945-1999
LCC
PS3569 .P5436 .C38Language and LiteratureAmerican literatureAmerican literatureIndividual authors1961-
BISAC

Statistics

Members
304
Popularity
104,824
Reviews
4
Rating
½ (3.73)
Languages
Dutch, English, French, German
Media
Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
ISBNs
19
UPCs
1
ASINs
5