Both Uses

machinations
in
The Book Thief
(Edited)

He was performing now what is called a Schreierei—a consummate exhibition of passionate shouting—warning the crowd to be watchful, to be vigilant, to seek out and destroy the evil machinations plotting to infect the motherland with its deplorable ways.
p. 110.7 *

machinations = actions to create a sinister plot
It's the machinations that wheel us there that aggravate, perplex, interest, and astound me.
p. 243.4

machinations = scheming or plotting

Definitions:

(1) (machinations)
typically plural: a crafty and involved plot to achieve usually sinister ends; or the process of creating the plot
(2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)