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Mrs. Plansky #1
Mrs. Plansky's Revenge
Mrs. Loretta Plansky, a recent widow in her seventies, is settling into retirement in Florida while dealing with her 98-year-old father and fielding requests for money from her beloved children and grandchildren. Thankfully, her new hip hasn’t changed her killer tennis game one bit.
One night Mrs. Plansky is startled awake by a phone call from a voice claiming to be her grandson Will, who desperately needs ten thousand dollars to get out of a jam. Of course, Loretta obliges―after all, what are grandmothers for, even grandmothers who still haven’t gotten a simple “thank you” for a gift sent weeks ago. Not that she's counting.
By morning, Mrs. Plansky has lost everything. Law enforcement announces that Loretta's life savings have vanished, and that it’s hopeless to find the scammers behind the heist. First humiliated, then furious, Loretta Plansky refuses to be just another victim.
In a courageous bid for justice, Mrs. Plansky follows her only clue on a whirlwind adventure to a small village in Romania to get her money and her dignity back―and perhaps find a new lease on life, too.
One night Mrs. Plansky is startled awake by a phone call from a voice claiming to be her grandson Will, who desperately needs ten thousand dollars to get out of a jam. Of course, Loretta obliges―after all, what are grandmothers for, even grandmothers who still haven’t gotten a simple “thank you” for a gift sent weeks ago. Not that she's counting.
By morning, Mrs. Plansky has lost everything. Law enforcement announces that Loretta's life savings have vanished, and that it’s hopeless to find the scammers behind the heist. First humiliated, then furious, Loretta Plansky refuses to be just another victim.
In a courageous bid for justice, Mrs. Plansky follows her only clue on a whirlwind adventure to a small village in Romania to get her money and her dignity back―and perhaps find a new lease on life, too.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published July 25, 2023
About the author
Spencer Quinn
40 books1,957 followersSpencer Quinn lives on Cape Cod with his dog Audrey, and is hard at work on the next Chet and Bernie adventure.
Spencer Quinn is a pseudonym of author Peter Abrahams.
Series:
* A Chet and Bernie Mystery
Spencer Quinn is a pseudonym of author Peter Abrahams.
Series:
* A Chet and Bernie Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 757 reviews
June 27, 2023
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I'm not really one for cozy mysteries but 2023 is my reading year of thinking outside the box. I am so glad that was one of my reading resolutions as I have found so many books I otherwise wouldn't have enjoyed and Mrs. Plansky's Revenge was such a treat! Don't let her seventy-two years fool you, she is a force to be reckoned with, Loretta Plansky is just like my grandmother was, very feisty and it was so refreshing to have a heroine who is older in years. I loved Loretta and (most of) the other characters. Not all of them were likeable right away but they eventually won their way into my heart. I loved their internal dialogue as it helped me realize what the characters were feeling and it was like I was getting to know them personally.
The storyline itself is very engaging and had me cheering Mrs. Plansky on, it was such a wonderful premise and executed brilliantly. I didn't like how her children and grandchildren treated her, only reaching out when money was needed but the family dynamics were relatable and true to real life which made this story all the more enjoyable.
What happened to Mrs. Plansky was very convincing...and in fact, it has happened to many seniors in real life. Here in Toronto, it was on the news recently that a poor senior was taken advantage of in this manner. The book had me feeling many emotions because it was scary, made me angry and had me laughing all at the same time. I understand this is going to become a series and I cannot wait to see what happens next...That's the best compliment I can give.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
I'm not really one for cozy mysteries but 2023 is my reading year of thinking outside the box. I am so glad that was one of my reading resolutions as I have found so many books I otherwise wouldn't have enjoyed and Mrs. Plansky's Revenge was such a treat! Don't let her seventy-two years fool you, she is a force to be reckoned with, Loretta Plansky is just like my grandmother was, very feisty and it was so refreshing to have a heroine who is older in years. I loved Loretta and (most of) the other characters. Not all of them were likeable right away but they eventually won their way into my heart. I loved their internal dialogue as it helped me realize what the characters were feeling and it was like I was getting to know them personally.
The storyline itself is very engaging and had me cheering Mrs. Plansky on, it was such a wonderful premise and executed brilliantly. I didn't like how her children and grandchildren treated her, only reaching out when money was needed but the family dynamics were relatable and true to real life which made this story all the more enjoyable.
What happened to Mrs. Plansky was very convincing...and in fact, it has happened to many seniors in real life. Here in Toronto, it was on the news recently that a poor senior was taken advantage of in this manner. The book had me feeling many emotions because it was scary, made me angry and had me laughing all at the same time. I understand this is going to become a series and I cannot wait to see what happens next...That's the best compliment I can give.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
August 27, 2023
Mrs. Plansky's Revenge by Spencer Quinn is a Blend of Cozy Mystery and Adventure Fiction!
Mrs. Loretta Plansky, is a seventy-year-old recent widow living a comfortable life in sunny Florida. Where else would someone with lots of money spend their retirement?
Loretta plays a mean set of tennis with the help of a new titanium hip, but her brain power seems to be lagging and she feels distracted. When her banks call asking why she's withdrawn all her money, Loretta discovers she's just been snookered. Cyber snookered, you might say.
She moves her ninety-eight-year-old dad (who's a bit sparky!) out of assisted living and in with her, sells some of her jewelry, and starts looking for a job. No luck. Even the FBI is making excuses.
That's when our Mrs. Plansky decides to take matters into her own hands to get her money back...
Mrs. Plansky's Revenge isn't as much a Cozy Mystery as Adventure Fiction so if you're expecting a mystery to solve, you'll need to look elsewhere as the author provides answers early on. This didn't take the fun out of it for me, though, Mrs. Plansky delivers plenty of that.
I adore our MC and despite what happens in the first half of the book, Loretta Plansky's got it "going-on" in the second half. Is this story believable? Heck no, but who cares. If you went into this thinking it was for real, you're nuts, in a good way, of course.
Mrs. Plansky's Revenge is an audiobook that's expertly narrated by Petrea Burchard. This author/narrator's has broad-range voicing ability that brings an individual voice and life to each character. The narrator's delivery of the dry humor through this story is one of the key reasons this story was such a delight for me.
Mrs. Plansky's Revenge is the kind of book to read while relaxing by the pool or listening to on a long leisurely walk. It's the entertainment within the story that comes directly from the character of Mrs. Plansky that's the best part of this book and I recommend it to those who enjoy a light read with humor that creates a smile.
3.75⭐rounded up!
Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Spencer Quinn for an ALC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.
Mrs. Loretta Plansky, is a seventy-year-old recent widow living a comfortable life in sunny Florida. Where else would someone with lots of money spend their retirement?
Loretta plays a mean set of tennis with the help of a new titanium hip, but her brain power seems to be lagging and she feels distracted. When her banks call asking why she's withdrawn all her money, Loretta discovers she's just been snookered. Cyber snookered, you might say.
She moves her ninety-eight-year-old dad (who's a bit sparky!) out of assisted living and in with her, sells some of her jewelry, and starts looking for a job. No luck. Even the FBI is making excuses.
That's when our Mrs. Plansky decides to take matters into her own hands to get her money back...
Mrs. Plansky's Revenge isn't as much a Cozy Mystery as Adventure Fiction so if you're expecting a mystery to solve, you'll need to look elsewhere as the author provides answers early on. This didn't take the fun out of it for me, though, Mrs. Plansky delivers plenty of that.
I adore our MC and despite what happens in the first half of the book, Loretta Plansky's got it "going-on" in the second half. Is this story believable? Heck no, but who cares. If you went into this thinking it was for real, you're nuts, in a good way, of course.
Mrs. Plansky's Revenge is an audiobook that's expertly narrated by Petrea Burchard. This author/narrator's has broad-range voicing ability that brings an individual voice and life to each character. The narrator's delivery of the dry humor through this story is one of the key reasons this story was such a delight for me.
Mrs. Plansky's Revenge is the kind of book to read while relaxing by the pool or listening to on a long leisurely walk. It's the entertainment within the story that comes directly from the character of Mrs. Plansky that's the best part of this book and I recommend it to those who enjoy a light read with humor that creates a smile.
3.75⭐rounded up!
Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Spencer Quinn for an ALC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.
July 19, 2023
3.5⭐️
Seventy-one-year-old Loretta Plansky is living a content retired life in her condo in Florida. Financially secure as a result of a flourishing business venture with her deceased husband, she is active and alert and constantly fielding requests for money from her adult children Nina and Jack for their ambitious (and not too well-planned) business ventures. She also has to deal with the tantrums of her ninety-eight-year-old father who is a resident of an assisted living facility nearby. Late one night she receives a call from someone posing as her grandson Will, asking her for assistance after being arrested for a DUI which ultimately results in her being scammed and her (substantial) life savings being stolen. The FBI is alerted and from what information Mrs. Plansky manages to glean from them, those responsible for the crime might be working out of a small town in Romania. Mrs. Plansky is not one to sit quietly and she ends up traveling to Romania in search of the person/people who stole her money. The narrative follows Mrs. Plansky as she leaves no stone unturned in tracking the criminals who robbed her of her life savings.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Petrea Burchard. The narrative is presented from the perspectives of Mrs. Plansky and Dinu, a Romanian teenager who Mrs. Plansky meets on her trip. The narrator does a good job of voicing the characters but the narration does not make up for the repetitiveness or the fact that the protagonist is constantly referred to as "Mrs. Plansky” throughout the story, which is a bit annoying. While I enjoyed the humor and the characters and appreciate the central theme of the story (unfortunately, scams such as the one mentioned in this story are not too uncommon), I thought that the pacing of the first half of the story was rather slow. The Romania segment should have been longer and the ending less rushed. There isn’t much mystery since the readers are made aware of the identity of the culprits quite early on and Mrs. Plansky’s investigation finds fruition as a result of a tad too many convenient coincidences.
Overall, Mrs. Plansky's Revenge by Spencer Quinn is a fun, light-hearted read, with an interesting cast of characters, but not quite as engrossing as I had hoped.
Many thanks to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The book/audiobook is due to be released on July 25, 2023.
Seventy-one-year-old Loretta Plansky is living a content retired life in her condo in Florida. Financially secure as a result of a flourishing business venture with her deceased husband, she is active and alert and constantly fielding requests for money from her adult children Nina and Jack for their ambitious (and not too well-planned) business ventures. She also has to deal with the tantrums of her ninety-eight-year-old father who is a resident of an assisted living facility nearby. Late one night she receives a call from someone posing as her grandson Will, asking her for assistance after being arrested for a DUI which ultimately results in her being scammed and her (substantial) life savings being stolen. The FBI is alerted and from what information Mrs. Plansky manages to glean from them, those responsible for the crime might be working out of a small town in Romania. Mrs. Plansky is not one to sit quietly and she ends up traveling to Romania in search of the person/people who stole her money. The narrative follows Mrs. Plansky as she leaves no stone unturned in tracking the criminals who robbed her of her life savings.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Petrea Burchard. The narrative is presented from the perspectives of Mrs. Plansky and Dinu, a Romanian teenager who Mrs. Plansky meets on her trip. The narrator does a good job of voicing the characters but the narration does not make up for the repetitiveness or the fact that the protagonist is constantly referred to as "Mrs. Plansky” throughout the story, which is a bit annoying. While I enjoyed the humor and the characters and appreciate the central theme of the story (unfortunately, scams such as the one mentioned in this story are not too uncommon), I thought that the pacing of the first half of the story was rather slow. The Romania segment should have been longer and the ending less rushed. There isn’t much mystery since the readers are made aware of the identity of the culprits quite early on and Mrs. Plansky’s investigation finds fruition as a result of a tad too many convenient coincidences.
Overall, Mrs. Plansky's Revenge by Spencer Quinn is a fun, light-hearted read, with an interesting cast of characters, but not quite as engrossing as I had hoped.
Many thanks to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The book/audiobook is due to be released on July 25, 2023.
July 25, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up.
Cute humorous story about a woman who is fleeced in a grandparent scam and decides to try to find who took her money.
I loved Loretta Plansky! Despite being a widow in her 70s and recovering from a hip replacement in the near past, she is full of grit and determination. She and her husband invented the Plansky Toaster Knife and had amassed a decent nest egg, so she is determined to get back what is rightfully hers. This book is light and humorous and the perfect summer read if you want to be entertained. Not sure I would call it a cozy mystery because there's no real mystery to be solved, more like a cozy adventure novel.
There were a few things that bugged me, and I think much of that was due to the fact that I listened to much of this book as an audiobook. The narrator is great, but there's some repetitiveness with regards to Mrs. Plansky's inability to remember certain things and with not knowing if she said something out loud or not. Does that really happen? It has never happened to me that I was so lost in my reverie that I didn't know if I spoke out loud. I don't think I would have noticed this so much on the page.
If you're looking for a sweet, refreshing read for the summer, then definitely pick this one up.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
Cute humorous story about a woman who is fleeced in a grandparent scam and decides to try to find who took her money.
I loved Loretta Plansky! Despite being a widow in her 70s and recovering from a hip replacement in the near past, she is full of grit and determination. She and her husband invented the Plansky Toaster Knife and had amassed a decent nest egg, so she is determined to get back what is rightfully hers. This book is light and humorous and the perfect summer read if you want to be entertained. Not sure I would call it a cozy mystery because there's no real mystery to be solved, more like a cozy adventure novel.
There were a few things that bugged me, and I think much of that was due to the fact that I listened to much of this book as an audiobook. The narrator is great, but there's some repetitiveness with regards to Mrs. Plansky's inability to remember certain things and with not knowing if she said something out loud or not. Does that really happen? It has never happened to me that I was so lost in my reverie that I didn't know if I spoke out loud. I don't think I would have noticed this so much on the page.
If you're looking for a sweet, refreshing read for the summer, then definitely pick this one up.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
July 11, 2024
Maybe sex made more sense than marriage—or even dating—in old age. Wasn’t courtship for the young?--------------------------------------
Meet me at Café des Artistes, eighteen hundred.”Loretta Plansky, widowed, retired, pretty fair tennis player, (particularly considering her new hip, only nine-months in) 71, Florida resident, financially comfortable, wakes one morning to discover that she has been pretty much cleaned out. Bank account, retirement fund, investments, the whole kit and caboodle, well, mostly. It seems that the ten grand she had given to her grandson, Will, overnight went instead to cybercriminals. The real Will had not asked her for anything. (Of course, I am totally in favor of folks sending cash to people named Will, but that��s just me. Any amount gratefully accepted.). The FBI special agent in charge holds out virtually no hope of her ever seeing her lost funds restored, but her number two, about to leave the bureau for a private gig, gives Mrs P one intriguing bit of intel. Unwilling to let this crime stand, she heads out to darkest Romania hoping to do…what? who knows? something.
“Is that the address?”
He blew out an irritated-sounding breath. “Six,” he said. “Six o’clock this evening. Your hotel—the Royale, I assume—can give you directions.”
“How will I know you?”
“I’ll wear a billboard with a question mark.”
Click.
Spencer Quinn (pen name for Peter Abrahams) - image from Macmillan – photo by Diana Gray
Mrs P is an intrepid investigator, with an unusual skill set. She manages to talk to a relevant person at the US embassy in Bucharest, and persists in following up the few clues that float down her way.
The story is told in parallel lanes. Mrs P is the primary of course, but we are also let in on the doings on the other side. Dinu is a teenager with a gift for and enthusiastic interest in American English. He collects colloquialisms and contemporary American slang the way a video-game player collects tokens to gain power. Of course, the power Dinu is amassing causes real harm. His scary uncle has paid to train him, and is now employing Dinu in making calls to American grandparents, pretending to be their stressed-out grandson, in need of emergency cash in order to get out of jail, or whatever. He has a computer whiz bff, Romeo, another teen, who is also employed by the scary uncle. Generally, they do not seem all that morally concerned about what they are doing, and the pay is good.
So, Mrs P makes her way to the relevant town, and stumbles her way through to the sort of cozy resolution one might expect. Along the way there are mysterious passageways, dark deeds, life-threatening adventures, a car chase, a valuable jewel, and some very unpleasant characters. So, I guess this is less of a cozy mystery and more of a cozy adventure tale.
It is a very good-natured story, and Mrs P is a fun lead, a very engaging sort, a good egg, who has been done dirt, but who would prefer to take matters into her own hands rather than leave her fate to the dubious efforts of others. She displays considerable courage, the creativity of an experienced field agent, and a wily serenity in stressful circumstances. One lovely element was her continued connection to her late husband, Norm. No magical realism here, just a pining for the person to whom she had been the closest for most of her life, as she shares thoughts and concerns with his memory, wondering at his theoretical advice. She is also a very kind person, amenable to applying the resources she has…well, had…to helping out her kids, despite that not necessarily being the wisest choice.
You will get a taste of Romania, a very small taste. Most entertaining among these is a hotel festooned with portraits of Bela Lugosi.
There is enough humor in here to generate several actual LOLs, which is always welcome
BUT, as things were winding up to the big finish, there were multiple eye-roller events that took me out of the book. Like running a marathon then tripping over a stick in the road, then another, then another. I did finish the book, and it was a fun read, for the most part. But I found myself saying “Really?” more than once or twice. And that damaged my overall feeling. Bottom line is that you have to be willing to overlook some egregious reliance on coincidence and deus-ex-machina trickery to make the story work out. I expect I am a bit towards the higher end in my sensitivity to such things. But if you are more forgiving, better at leaping past roadway impediments, then do it, jump in. You will be rewarded with a fun, light read, featuring a very engaging lead. Mrs P will be glad of the company, and so will you.
Review posted - 09/29/23
Publication dates
----------Hardcover– 7/25/23
----------Trade paperback - 7/9/24
I received an ARE of Mrs. Plansky's Revenge from Tor Publishing in return for a fair review and the password to my bank account. Hey, now wait a goldarned minute! Thanks, folks, and thanks to NetGalley for facilitating.
This is cross-posted on my site, Coot’s Reviews. Stop by and say Hi!
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s personal, FB, Instagram, and Twitter pages
Profile
Spencer Quinn is the pen name for Peter Abrahams, the Edgar-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Chet and Bernie mystery series, as well as the #1 New York Times bestselling Bowser and Birdie series for middle-grade readers. He lives on Cape Cod with his wife Diana and dog Pearl.Interviews
-----The Big Thrill - Up Close: Spencer Quinn by Karen Hugg – all on dog books
-----Famous Writing Routines - Interview with Peter Abrahams: “I love what I do. Love seems to clear a lot of paths.” - nothing particular to this book. More on his methodology.
Songs/Music
-----The Byrds - Eight Miles High - appears in Chapter 13
-----The Chimes - I’m in the Mood for Love - Chapter 20
Items of Interest
-----Excerpt - Chapter One
-----Federal Trade Commission – Consumer Advice - Phone Scams
-----Tor/Forge Blog - Inspiration and Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge by Spencer Quinn! by Ariana Carpenter
Five or six years ago, my dad got a phone call. At the time he was in his early nineties. He died two weeks short of his 97th birthday and was in excellent mental shape and very good physical shape until the end. I want to emphasize that mental part. He was a very smart guy: quick, sharp, clear-headed. Back to the call.
Caller: Hey, Grandpa!
My dad: Jake?
Caller: Yeah, Grandpa, it’s me, Jake.
Cut To: My dad’s wife, noticing he’s putting on his jacket.
Wife: Ed? Where are you going?
My dad: To the bank. Jake’s in trouble and he needs some money.
At that point it was decided to call Jake (living in another city), and he had not called my dad and wasn’t in any trouble. “Jake” never got a penny. But I was amazed that someone like my dad could have been fooled.
And then I got back to writing the Chet and Bernie novel I was working on and thought no more about the two Jakes. Then one day on a bike ride the idea for Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge—indeed the whole set-up, including the Romanian part—came to me in one fell swoop.
July 27, 2023
Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge by Spencer Quinn was a relatable cozy mystery that took place in both Punta D’Oro, Florida and in various locations in Romania. At seventy-one years old, Loretta Plansky, found herself as a widow, financially secure, a recipient of a hip replacement, responsible for her 98 year old father’s care in an upscale assisted living facility and able to play a mean game of tennis. Loretta had two grown children and two grandchildren who relied on Loretta to help their business and life adventures become a reality. More than not, Loretta helped them finance their endeavors. That was why when Loretta received a phone call in the middle of the night from her grandson, Will, pleading with her to help him get out of a DUI conviction, she gladly gave him the nearly $10,000 he required. Of course she was going to help her young grandson. How was she supposed to get the money to him, though? Will explained that they could use something called Safemo to transfer the money to him so he could get out of jail. The only thing he needed was her password for her account and he could do it for her. Without any hesitation, Loretta gave Will the password to her bank account which was also the same password for all her other investments and accounts. When Loretta woke up the next morning, she learned very quickly that all her accounts had been emptied. She had been a victim of a scam. The FBI was called in but they didn’t give Loretta much hope of recovering her money. Loretta had been told that the scam originated in Romania. She decided to take matters into her own hands. Without a word to her family or anyone else, Loretta boarded a plane to Romania. Loretta was intent on getting her money back and exposing the people who were responsible for the scam. Will she be able to succeed?
Many years ago, I remember listening to my mother relate a similar story to me that had happened to one of her elderly friends. We had a whole conversation about it and wondered what she would have done if she received that phone call or one similar to it. Thank goodness, her friend’s experience taught her and me a very valuable lesson. There are so many people out there that prey on the elderly and their vulnerability. It is a terrible thing but something that elderly people must be aware of.
I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge by Spencer Quinn. It was well narrated by Petrea Burchard. I enjoyed the character of Loretta Plansky the best. The part when she decided to go to Romania on her own to get her money back felt a little far fetched for me and not something that would really happen but it did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. I felt myself rooting for Mrs. Plansky to succeed. Overall, I enjoyed this cozy mystery and would recommend it.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge by Spencer Quinn through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Many years ago, I remember listening to my mother relate a similar story to me that had happened to one of her elderly friends. We had a whole conversation about it and wondered what she would have done if she received that phone call or one similar to it. Thank goodness, her friend’s experience taught her and me a very valuable lesson. There are so many people out there that prey on the elderly and their vulnerability. It is a terrible thing but something that elderly people must be aware of.
I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge by Spencer Quinn. It was well narrated by Petrea Burchard. I enjoyed the character of Loretta Plansky the best. The part when she decided to go to Romania on her own to get her money back felt a little far fetched for me and not something that would really happen but it did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. I felt myself rooting for Mrs. Plansky to succeed. Overall, I enjoyed this cozy mystery and would recommend it.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge by Spencer Quinn through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
July 21, 2023
If you’re someone in the second half of life, not totally comfortable with all things techno, this book can provide fun entertainment with an important life lesson. Do not reuse your passwords! Mrs. Plansky is only 71 and in her day, ran a successful business. Late one night, she is awoken by her phone ringing. It’s her “grandson”, on the hook for a DUI. In a moment of gullibility, she gives him access to her bank account to take $10,000.
As someone close to Mrs. Plansky’s age, it was a stark reminder how scams targeting the elderly are a regular occurrence anymore. (Our local tv station gives daily updates on the latest ones and how to recognize them. ).
Quinn hasn’t crafted an entirely believable main character. We’re meant to believe she’s whip smart in some ways, yet entirely dense in others (especially when it comes to planning to hand over huge sums of money to her children for idiot ideas). She was meant to be in good shape (regular tennis) but was out of breath walking up and down city streets. I just felt like Quinn hasn’t been around many 71 year old women.
The book had an uneven pacing. It takes a while to set up the premise, then it moves at a decent pace before rushing the ending.
And one more pet peeve, why did the author insist on calling her Mrs. Plansky throughout the book rather than by her givenname, Loretta? It felt contrived.
Petrea Burchard was the narrator and did a good job.
My thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook.
As someone close to Mrs. Plansky’s age, it was a stark reminder how scams targeting the elderly are a regular occurrence anymore. (Our local tv station gives daily updates on the latest ones and how to recognize them. ).
Quinn hasn’t crafted an entirely believable main character. We’re meant to believe she’s whip smart in some ways, yet entirely dense in others (especially when it comes to planning to hand over huge sums of money to her children for idiot ideas). She was meant to be in good shape (regular tennis) but was out of breath walking up and down city streets. I just felt like Quinn hasn’t been around many 71 year old women.
The book had an uneven pacing. It takes a while to set up the premise, then it moves at a decent pace before rushing the ending.
And one more pet peeve, why did the author insist on calling her Mrs. Plansky throughout the book rather than by her givenname, Loretta? It felt contrived.
Petrea Burchard was the narrator and did a good job.
My thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook.
June 1, 2024
“I didn’t call you last night, Grandma.”
And, now the nightmare truly begins for Mrs. Plansky when she realizes she has been duped into not only giving up some money not directly to her grandson, as she originally thought, but to scammers who now had access to her bank account.
And her money wasn’t just about her. She takes care of a lot of people. How could they do this?
How many of us have heard about these individuals who pretend to be somebody we know who need us to come to their rescue, and then find ways to covet our savings? Or our Medicare card? Or any number of sensitive personal information like our Social Security and other important accounts?
Unfortunately, scammers can be very convincing, and their calls and emails and text messages can be so numerous that it is easy for unsuspecting, vulnerable elderly folks to fall prey to them. As it did to Mrs. Plansky.
But Mrs. Plansky wasn’t willing to play victim. Oh no! She had a plan. When the FBI said there was little chance she could get her money back, everyone assumed that she would just wallow in her loss.
But not Mrs. Plansky. She buys a ticket to Romania, and blindly takes off to search for her thieves.
Now, during this adventure, we are also privy to the “thieves” who work for the master, Dragomir who is the criminal. He is the one who is amassing the wealth that his worker-bees, nephew, Dinu, who makes the calls and his friend, Romeo, who uses the computer to take the funds.
So, even as we watch all this play out, we can’t help but feel the seriousness of what we are being privy to here.
As readers, how will we feel about Dinu and Romeo knowing the secondary roles they play?
How are we experiencing Mrs. Plansky’s adventure to find out where her money has gone?
Will we appreciate or be impressed with Mrs. Plansky and her bravado?
She may have been duped in the beginning, but as readers, will we grow to admire her growth throughout this story? Even with her senior moments?
I love when an author can create a main character protagonist who is a woman in her 70’s with a kind heart, who has a sense of justice, and definitely a strong sense of spirit. How many people would do what she did at her age? My new kind of hero!
And, now the nightmare truly begins for Mrs. Plansky when she realizes she has been duped into not only giving up some money not directly to her grandson, as she originally thought, but to scammers who now had access to her bank account.
And her money wasn’t just about her. She takes care of a lot of people. How could they do this?
How many of us have heard about these individuals who pretend to be somebody we know who need us to come to their rescue, and then find ways to covet our savings? Or our Medicare card? Or any number of sensitive personal information like our Social Security and other important accounts?
Unfortunately, scammers can be very convincing, and their calls and emails and text messages can be so numerous that it is easy for unsuspecting, vulnerable elderly folks to fall prey to them. As it did to Mrs. Plansky.
But Mrs. Plansky wasn’t willing to play victim. Oh no! She had a plan. When the FBI said there was little chance she could get her money back, everyone assumed that she would just wallow in her loss.
But not Mrs. Plansky. She buys a ticket to Romania, and blindly takes off to search for her thieves.
Now, during this adventure, we are also privy to the “thieves” who work for the master, Dragomir who is the criminal. He is the one who is amassing the wealth that his worker-bees, nephew, Dinu, who makes the calls and his friend, Romeo, who uses the computer to take the funds.
So, even as we watch all this play out, we can’t help but feel the seriousness of what we are being privy to here.
As readers, how will we feel about Dinu and Romeo knowing the secondary roles they play?
How are we experiencing Mrs. Plansky’s adventure to find out where her money has gone?
Will we appreciate or be impressed with Mrs. Plansky and her bravado?
She may have been duped in the beginning, but as readers, will we grow to admire her growth throughout this story? Even with her senior moments?
I love when an author can create a main character protagonist who is a woman in her 70’s with a kind heart, who has a sense of justice, and definitely a strong sense of spirit. How many people would do what she did at her age? My new kind of hero!
July 25, 2023
3.5 stars
Seventy-one year old Loretta Plansky is having a pleasant retirement in Punta D'Oro, Florida.
Years ago, Loretta and her husband Norm made millions of dollars with their patented 'Plansky Toaster Knife', which slices and toasts bread simultaneously. After Norm passed, Loretta moved into a pretty little condo, and though Loretta misses Norm terribly, she's enjoying her life - shopping, playing tennis, seeing her friends, etc.
Loretta is comfortable financially, and her family seems to view her as something like an ATM machine. Loretta's daughter Nina and son Jack request hundreds-of-thousands of dollars for sure-to-fail business ventures;
and Loretta spends nearly $10,000 a month for her cranky, 98-year-old father's upscale retirement home.
Thus Loretta doesn't give it a second thought when she gets a middle-of-the-night phone call from her grandson Will.
The line is fuzzy, but Loretta can hear Will say he needs $9,000+ to bail himself out for a DUI, and to get his car out of impound. Loretta sends the money to 'Safemo' - which Will says is the best - and which requires Loretta's banking password. Unfortunately, the call is not from Will at all. The call is from a scammer, and by the following morning Loretta finds out she's been bilked out of all her money - nearly $4,000,000.
Loretta has a meeting with bankers and FBI agents, who say they'll investigate the theft. However, the FBI cautions Loretta that these scams originate in Eastern Europe, and Loretta is unlikely to get her money back.
Loretta is no shrinking violet and she's angry. Thus, when Loretta learns the cyberthieves are in Romania, she makes her way to the American Embassy in Bucharest, and then to a Romanian town known to harbor cyberscammers.
The Romanian townsfolk assume Loretta is an American tourist as she goes about her investigation. Loretta's skills - like driving a stick shift, riding a motorcycle, and befriending people - serve her well in her quest.
In the Romanian town, Loretta happens to make the acquaintance of two teenage boys, Dinu and Romeo, who - unknown to Loretta - are involved in the cyberthief scam.
The boys work for Dinu's Uncle Dragomir, a thug who runs the operation, bullies the boys, and pays them a pittance.
As the story unfolds, Loretta's serendipitous discoveries lead to danger and adventure. On the upside, Loretta meets some helpful people, and gets to enjoy Romanian specialties like Țuică (plum brandy) and plum jam.
Loretta is a plucky heroine with a good sense of humor, and it's great to see her hold her own in this 'cozy thriller.'
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Petrea Burchard, who does an excellent job.
Thanks to Netgalley, Spencer Quinn, and Macmillan Audio for a copy of the book.
You can follow my reviews at http://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com
July 19, 2023
I love a good revenge story and based on the premise of this one (old lady gets a call from a “grandchild” needing money to be bailed out and instead they empty her accounts) left it in clear black and white for me on the good guys versus the bad guys. So I went into this expecting a simple story with maybe a little mystery. I listened to the audiobook of this one and I have to say it was a bit distracting/annoying for me that the main character was referred by Mrs. Plansky even when she was the one thinking or telling the story. It made it harder to get into the story or like her because really who refers to themselves by Mrs. Anything? The story wasn’t plausible, but it was interesting. I thought the idea was really good and the execution could have been a little better. I especially thought that the story was very slow in the beginning and took way too long to really make any progress.
November 26, 2023
Mrs. Plansky's Revenge
I’m not sure how to categorize this very cute book. It has been listed as mystery and thriller, but there was no mystery and maybe only a tiny thrill toward the end (blink and you might miss it). This is another humorous book about an “old lady” (I resent that) who solves a mystery of sorts and takes on the underworld in small town Romania. There are so many stereotypes involved that it almost feels like a satire. The Romanians are portrayed as sleazy, greasy, mafioso baboons – including the local police, the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest is portrayed as more interested in the guards' pick-up basketball game in the compound courtyard than in helping out a USC who has been fleeced in Romania and wants justice, the FBI doesn’t seem interested in actually solving cybercrimes, a little old lady who has memory issues, hip replacement issues and talks to herself and her dead husband, succeeds where everyone else fails in exacting justice/revenge on the perpetrators who fleeced her, and two teenage juvenile delinquents not only get off scot-free for their felonies but also get rewarded financially for returning what they stole AND get permanent visas to the U.S., to boot! So, yeah! I guess this must be a satire.
I will never again get annoyed with the bank or government offices who make me jump through hoops in order to move my own money or get information. Without that added protection, we could all be Loretta Planskys, being duped into giving account numbers, personal information and account passcodes over the telephone. This plague has been around for too many years and if you have parents of an age, who are not technologically savvy and rely on their savings to live on in their golden years, you better hide their credit cards, change their passwords, unlist their phone numbers, and replace their contact details with your own for their banks, credit card companies, etc.
72 year-old Loretta Plansky is recently widowed and living in a retirement community in Florida. She and her husband made a small fortune thanks to one of the latter’s inventions, a bread knife that toasts as it slices – now there’s something that ranks up there with Thneeds (forgive me Dr. Seuss). Now Loretta is living a quiet life playing tennis at the club, recovering from a hip replacement, and trying to hang on to her wits. Her two kids are hitting her up for money and she has it to give, so she is not surprised when a grandson calls her in the middle of the night telling her that he’s been arrested for a DUI, ‘please don’t tell my mother but can you bail me out, I need $9,XXX.xx - No, granny I don’t need a check please give me your bank details and bank code and the money will transfer to where it needs to go…’ The next day Loretta finds that all of her accounts have been emptied, as she used the same passcode for everything. (I’m feeling a little sheepish right now).
The FBI gets involved and after driving her nuts with their questions, eventually admits that there is absolutely nothing that they can do. One of the agents lets it slip that the call appeared to have come from a small town in Romania. Loretta now has no money to pay the nursing home where her obstreperous 98-year-old father is living and is forced to move him in to her home (now there’s an incentive for going after the bad guy, if ever there was one). She is also determined to get that money back and since no one else is going to bat for her, she sells an expensive piece of jewelry and takes off for Romania….All the world is a village, and Loretta manages to end up in the right place with all the right people around her. It is convenient that no one seems to exist outside of the half dozen characters driving the plot, and they are ripe for the plucking.
Loretta’s adventures, and conversations with herself are very cute…and it should come as no surprise (since the title tells all) that she gets her man (there is a double entendre in that somewhere, for those of you who have read the novel).
I enjoyed and listened to the book in two days (thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my ARC and for keeping me walking when I didn’t want to stop listening).
I’m not sure how to categorize this very cute book. It has been listed as mystery and thriller, but there was no mystery and maybe only a tiny thrill toward the end (blink and you might miss it). This is another humorous book about an “old lady” (I resent that) who solves a mystery of sorts and takes on the underworld in small town Romania. There are so many stereotypes involved that it almost feels like a satire. The Romanians are portrayed as sleazy, greasy, mafioso baboons – including the local police, the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest is portrayed as more interested in the guards' pick-up basketball game in the compound courtyard than in helping out a USC who has been fleeced in Romania and wants justice, the FBI doesn’t seem interested in actually solving cybercrimes, a little old lady who has memory issues, hip replacement issues and talks to herself and her dead husband, succeeds where everyone else fails in exacting justice/revenge on the perpetrators who fleeced her, and two teenage juvenile delinquents not only get off scot-free for their felonies but also get rewarded financially for returning what they stole AND get permanent visas to the U.S., to boot! So, yeah! I guess this must be a satire.
I will never again get annoyed with the bank or government offices who make me jump through hoops in order to move my own money or get information. Without that added protection, we could all be Loretta Planskys, being duped into giving account numbers, personal information and account passcodes over the telephone. This plague has been around for too many years and if you have parents of an age, who are not technologically savvy and rely on their savings to live on in their golden years, you better hide their credit cards, change their passwords, unlist their phone numbers, and replace their contact details with your own for their banks, credit card companies, etc.
72 year-old Loretta Plansky is recently widowed and living in a retirement community in Florida. She and her husband made a small fortune thanks to one of the latter’s inventions, a bread knife that toasts as it slices – now there’s something that ranks up there with Thneeds (forgive me Dr. Seuss). Now Loretta is living a quiet life playing tennis at the club, recovering from a hip replacement, and trying to hang on to her wits. Her two kids are hitting her up for money and she has it to give, so she is not surprised when a grandson calls her in the middle of the night telling her that he’s been arrested for a DUI, ‘please don’t tell my mother but can you bail me out, I need $9,XXX.xx - No, granny I don’t need a check please give me your bank details and bank code and the money will transfer to where it needs to go…’ The next day Loretta finds that all of her accounts have been emptied, as she used the same passcode for everything. (I’m feeling a little sheepish right now).
The FBI gets involved and after driving her nuts with their questions, eventually admits that there is absolutely nothing that they can do. One of the agents lets it slip that the call appeared to have come from a small town in Romania. Loretta now has no money to pay the nursing home where her obstreperous 98-year-old father is living and is forced to move him in to her home (now there’s an incentive for going after the bad guy, if ever there was one). She is also determined to get that money back and since no one else is going to bat for her, she sells an expensive piece of jewelry and takes off for Romania….All the world is a village, and Loretta manages to end up in the right place with all the right people around her. It is convenient that no one seems to exist outside of the half dozen characters driving the plot, and they are ripe for the plucking.
Loretta’s adventures, and conversations with herself are very cute…and it should come as no surprise (since the title tells all) that she gets her man (there is a double entendre in that somewhere, for those of you who have read the novel).
I enjoyed and listened to the book in two days (thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my ARC and for keeping me walking when I didn’t want to stop listening).
January 15, 2023
I am a big fan of Spencer Quinn’s Chet and Bernie detective series. I even named my dog Quinn. As soon as I heard about his new series featuring Mrs. Plansky I searched for a way to read and review it early, so huge thanks to NetGalley. I’m a senior citizen myself and it’s thrilling to read about a brave, intelligent, older heroine like Mrs. Plansky. Hooray for what I hope will be many more books about this wonderful character.
June 20, 2023
I selected this book because I love revenge books and was intrigued by this book's premise:
A 72-year-old widow is scammed for $10K by a telemarketer pretending to be her grandson.
After discovering that the scammers have depleted her entire life savings from her bank account, the widow fights back and sets out to recapture her funds.
Let the record show that I was on TEAM PLANSKY even before I started the book.
With such a brilliant premise, what went wrong?
1. I listened to the audiobook read by Petrea Burchard. The narration was good but not great.
The book unfolded from multiple POVs and would have benefited from multiple narrators.
2) Throughout the entire book, the widow was referred to as Mrs. Plansky. In the Mrs. Plansky POV chapters, the widow referred to herself in the third person as Mrs. Plansky. I found this very awkward and disconcerting.
3) The book had a very, very, very slow start.
It took the author waaay too long to set up the storyline and even when this happened, the book dragged.
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
2.5 stars
A 72-year-old widow is scammed for $10K by a telemarketer pretending to be her grandson.
After discovering that the scammers have depleted her entire life savings from her bank account, the widow fights back and sets out to recapture her funds.
Let the record show that I was on TEAM PLANSKY even before I started the book.
With such a brilliant premise, what went wrong?
1. I listened to the audiobook read by Petrea Burchard. The narration was good but not great.
The book unfolded from multiple POVs and would have benefited from multiple narrators.
2) Throughout the entire book, the widow was referred to as Mrs. Plansky. In the Mrs. Plansky POV chapters, the widow referred to herself in the third person as Mrs. Plansky. I found this very awkward and disconcerting.
3) The book had a very, very, very slow start.
It took the author waaay too long to set up the storyline and even when this happened, the book dragged.
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
2.5 stars
September 10, 2023
I absolutely adore Mrs. Plansky!! She is a kind hearted, quick witted, intelligent woman who doesn’t back down from hardship. I enjoyed following her on her fearless path to revenge. She made me laugh out loud and hold my breath in suspense. She does this all while juggling her aged father, adult children and grandchildren who all depend on her in some way. In fact, that’s what starts the whole adventure; her love and desire to care for her family.
Mrs. Planky’s Revenge is a delightful detective story with a great ending! I’m so glad I didn’t pass this one up. I absolutely have to read all of Spencer Quinn’s books now!
Many thanks to Macmillan audio for the arc via NetGalley.
Mrs. Planky’s Revenge is a delightful detective story with a great ending! I’m so glad I didn’t pass this one up. I absolutely have to read all of Spencer Quinn’s books now!
Many thanks to Macmillan audio for the arc via NetGalley.
June 5, 2024
Mrs. Loretta Plansky, a recent widow in her seventies, is settling into retirement in her Florida condo while dealing with her 98-year-old father and fielding requests for money from her beloved children and grandchildren. One night Mrs. Plansky gets a phone call from someone claiming to be her grandson Will who desperately needs $10,000 to get out of a jam. By morning her life savings have vanished, but Loretta Plansky refuses to be just another victim.
I listened to the audiobook of this one and really liked Petrea Burchard's narration. She managed to bring the different characters to life so that it felt like there was more than one narrator. The story is well told and I could really relate to Loretta although I'm pretty sure I wouldn't fall for a scam like this, mostly because I don't have any grandchildren, but I can see how others might be drawn in. I can't imagine anyone going to the extent she did to track down the perpetrators but it was an enjoyable ride with some excellent characters. Not a fan of the romance angle but it was kinda cute. Not exactly a mystery, more of a cozy adventure. I think this is the beginning of a series and I'd probably listen to another audiobook featuring Mrs. Plansky. 3.5 Stars rounded up.
I was probably 75% through the book before I discovered that the author is male! He has captured the mindset of 70-something ladies as far as I can tell.
Thanks to Libby via London Public Library for the loan of this audiobook.
I listened to the audiobook of this one and really liked Petrea Burchard's narration. She managed to bring the different characters to life so that it felt like there was more than one narrator. The story is well told and I could really relate to Loretta although I'm pretty sure I wouldn't fall for a scam like this, mostly because I don't have any grandchildren, but I can see how others might be drawn in. I can't imagine anyone going to the extent she did to track down the perpetrators but it was an enjoyable ride with some excellent characters. Not a fan of the romance angle but it was kinda cute. Not exactly a mystery, more of a cozy adventure. I think this is the beginning of a series and I'd probably listen to another audiobook featuring Mrs. Plansky. 3.5 Stars rounded up.
I was probably 75% through the book before I discovered that the author is male! He has captured the mindset of 70-something ladies as far as I can tell.
Thanks to Libby via London Public Library for the loan of this audiobook.
Read
April 27, 2023QUICK TAKE: love the idea of a woman of a certain age taking down the scammers who stole her life savings, but i thought this was just...okay. Very clean ending, not a lot of conflict, could have used some additional supporting cast to surround Plansky. Overall, a solid read for fans of THE MAID or ELEANOR OLIPHANT or THURSDAY MURDER CLUB.
February 8, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! I thought the book was lovely. It was a fresh story and something that I haven’t seen before. The characters were complex and likable. Overall a wonderful read that will have you on your toes!
November 9, 2023
This is the best book I have read this year and I bet it will be made into a movie as it is so exciting!
August 1, 2023
3.75 stars rounded up to 4 — Mrs. Plansky's Revenge treats us to an unusual heroine: a woman in her 70s who falls victim to a foreign financial scam but refuses to accept her fate.
Answering her phone in the middle of the night, Mrs. Plansky believes she's hearing her grandson calling her in distress; he's been arrested for a DUI and needs bail money. Mrs. Plansky, who is both wealthy and accustomed to her family seeking financial support regularly, accepts this call on face value — and wakes up to find her entire fortune gone.
While this is an all-to-common reality many people face, when her effort to get her money back via the police fails, Mrs. Plansky chooses to follow the slim lead she has to Romania, where they suspect the thieves live. From here, she gets mixed up with a variety of local characters, as she works to solve the mystery and reclaim her fortune.
Where this book wins: quirky characters, heart-felt human connections, and just overall entertainment. Never was I bored!
Where it may have misstepped: 1) I can't say I ever understood why the author chose to refer to Loretta as Mrs. Plansky on every reference. This may have made sense if it wasa side effect of her personality, but she was not overly formal and never introduced herself as anything but Loretta. Whatever the reason, I found this technique kept me at arm's length on fully connecting to the character. 2) I also felt that Mrs. Plansky connected with Romeo and Dinu a bit too quickly. I loved the redemption story here, but given where it led, I wanted more development on how their connection was so deeply formed.
Overall, this was a fun read and the audio narration was well done.
Answering her phone in the middle of the night, Mrs. Plansky believes she's hearing her grandson calling her in distress; he's been arrested for a DUI and needs bail money. Mrs. Plansky, who is both wealthy and accustomed to her family seeking financial support regularly, accepts this call on face value — and wakes up to find her entire fortune gone.
While this is an all-to-common reality many people face, when her effort to get her money back via the police fails, Mrs. Plansky chooses to follow the slim lead she has to Romania, where they suspect the thieves live. From here, she gets mixed up with a variety of local characters, as she works to solve the mystery and reclaim her fortune.
Where this book wins: quirky characters, heart-felt human connections, and just overall entertainment. Never was I bored!
Where it may have misstepped: 1) I can't say I ever understood why the author chose to refer to Loretta as Mrs. Plansky on every reference. This may have made sense if it wasa side effect of her personality, but she was not overly formal and never introduced herself as anything but Loretta. Whatever the reason, I found this technique kept me at arm's length on fully connecting to the character. 2) I also felt that Mrs. Plansky connected with Romeo and Dinu a bit too quickly. I loved the redemption story here, but given where it led, I wanted more development on how their connection was so deeply formed.
Overall, this was a fun read and the audio narration was well done.
April 20, 2023
I was immediately hooked … and then, I no longer cared to finish the book!
The premise was attention grabbing. I was excited to see a story told from multiple view points that seemingly did not connect at first. This is one of my favorite plot points in stories.
In truth, I think the internal dialogue of some characters, particularly Mrs. Plansky, was clunky and tedious. It felt like the author was trying too hard to make readers connect with the characters. I additionally was immediately put off by her claim that she and her husband had started their company from nothing, when in fact they were privileged enough to borrow money from her father.
I found Mrs. Plansky’s family members infuriating. Her enabling behavior toward them soured me on liking her. The amount of blind privilege in this book almost had me rooting for the scammers.
I was more invested in Dinu’s story, but it was still not enough to make me finish the book.
I did not finish this book, putting it down at the 2/3 mark. It could have been 75 pages shorter, and maybe I would have liked it.
The premise was attention grabbing. I was excited to see a story told from multiple view points that seemingly did not connect at first. This is one of my favorite plot points in stories.
In truth, I think the internal dialogue of some characters, particularly Mrs. Plansky, was clunky and tedious. It felt like the author was trying too hard to make readers connect with the characters. I additionally was immediately put off by her claim that she and her husband had started their company from nothing, when in fact they were privileged enough to borrow money from her father.
I found Mrs. Plansky’s family members infuriating. Her enabling behavior toward them soured me on liking her. The amount of blind privilege in this book almost had me rooting for the scammers.
I was more invested in Dinu’s story, but it was still not enough to make me finish the book.
I did not finish this book, putting it down at the 2/3 mark. It could have been 75 pages shorter, and maybe I would have liked it.
August 7, 2023
Loretta Plansky is a 71-year-old widow when she gets scammed out of her life savings. Instead of waiting for law enforcement to find the perpetrators, she takes it upon herself to travel across the globe to get her money back.
I definitely had to suspend my disbelief with some of the events, but all in all, it was a fun read. I always enjoy reading about older protagonists.
Thank you to the publisher and Goodreads for providing me with the ARC through their giveaway.
I definitely had to suspend my disbelief with some of the events, but all in all, it was a fun read. I always enjoy reading about older protagonists.
Thank you to the publisher and Goodreads for providing me with the ARC through their giveaway.
September 11, 2023
While I hope author Spencer Quinn doesn't give up on his Chet and Bernie series, this is a great addition to his repertoire. Mrs. Plansky is the 71-year-old protagonist whose entire savings is stolen through a scamming scheme, so she hunts down the culprits in Europe to get her money back. This is a lively romp. Quinn does a great job of getting his readers to believe that his protagonist is capable of such a feat. There were times, admittedly, when I felt like Mrs. Plansky was a human version of Chet, the dog in his other series, because the characters go through the same thought process. Mrs. Plansky has trouble remembering little things, and Chet has the same trouble. Because Mrs. Plansky is trying to figure out how to track down her money and get it back (she doesn't have any of it planned out), it is reminiscent of Chet as it tries to understand the human world. That aside, this is a fun read, great for a summer day or rainy afternoon. The conclusion is very satisfying.
January 18, 2024
First disappointing read of 2024, and I'm frankly surprised. I've enjoyed several of the author's "Chet & Bernie" mysteries, but wasn't too interesting in reading more as they started to fall into a pattern. Still, I like Quinn as a writer, so was glad to see him move into something new. But then I actually started this book, and it was just a solid meh.
I'm all for elderly protagonists, but the first 60 pages were literally just boring retiree life in Florida. Get to the story!! If you're gonna rip off "Mrs. Pollifax," at least throw her right into a situation; don't depress me for chapters on end with a lonely widow and her idiot children. (BTW, I've listed this under "humor" because everyone else did, and Quinn can be a seriously funny writer - but there was none of this visible by the time I bailed.)
Also - and importantly - I've said elsewhere (particularly in regard to the overrated Remarkably Bright Creatures) that, much like male writers have to be very careful writing female characters, younger writers really need to watch out writing senior leads. Mrs. Plansky is 71 years old - just one year older than me - but she and her husband are named Loretta and Norm, and I've never met anyone with those names in my generation ever. I know of a couple from my parent's generation (see Loretta Young and Loretta Swit); but...okay, other than Norm McDonald, those are definitely NOT boomer names.
Around page 60, the actual plot kicks in with "Loretta" receiving a phone call from her grandson, who has apparently been arrested and needs grandma to send her cash, like, RIGHT NOW. This premise is what initially sold me on the book - the exact same thing happened to my wife and me just a couple months ago, with "my son" calling to say that he'd been in an accident while on his cellphone, and so we should expect a call from a lawyer who needed money, like, RIGHT NOW. Except that we then weren't as crazy stupid as Mrs. Plansky was, who as an apparently brain-dead septuagenarian immediately gave the caller all of her banking information, account numbers and PASSWORDS. Again, I cannot over-emphasize: 70-year-olds are NOT stupid, we are NOT technology idiots; for that matter we are NOT all retired...and we sure as hell aren't named Loretta and Norm.
And so I packed it in.
That said, THIS IS INDEED A SERIOUS ISSUE. When we reported our own call to the local cops, we were told that (A) there was nothing they could do about it, and (B) this has become WAY common. So be prepared: set up a password or test question with all of your kids and spouses, something simple but obscure like "name your cousins in New York" or "what is your Chinese name?" or "what instrument did your grandpa play?"…anything that can be used to confirm their identify. Or if nothing else, as soon as you finish the call - without giving away your entire life savings or other keys to the kingdom, of course - call your real kid and ask if he IS in jail, or been in an accident, or whatever.
These bastards are getting increasingly sophisticated and convincing; long gone are the Nigerian princes of yore. But with just a minimum of planning, you can nip such scams in the bud so that you don't end up having to fly off to Romania to deal with Eastern European gangsters, like the poor numbskull in this book. A little preparation goes a seriously LONG way.
I'm all for elderly protagonists, but the first 60 pages were literally just boring retiree life in Florida. Get to the story!! If you're gonna rip off "Mrs. Pollifax," at least throw her right into a situation; don't depress me for chapters on end with a lonely widow and her idiot children. (BTW, I've listed this under "humor" because everyone else did, and Quinn can be a seriously funny writer - but there was none of this visible by the time I bailed.)
Also - and importantly - I've said elsewhere (particularly in regard to the overrated Remarkably Bright Creatures) that, much like male writers have to be very careful writing female characters, younger writers really need to watch out writing senior leads. Mrs. Plansky is 71 years old - just one year older than me - but she and her husband are named Loretta and Norm, and I've never met anyone with those names in my generation ever. I know of a couple from my parent's generation (see Loretta Young and Loretta Swit); but...okay, other than Norm McDonald, those are definitely NOT boomer names.
Around page 60, the actual plot kicks in with "Loretta" receiving a phone call from her grandson, who has apparently been arrested and needs grandma to send her cash, like, RIGHT NOW. This premise is what initially sold me on the book - the exact same thing happened to my wife and me just a couple months ago, with "my son" calling to say that he'd been in an accident while on his cellphone, and so we should expect a call from a lawyer who needed money, like, RIGHT NOW. Except that we then weren't as crazy stupid as Mrs. Plansky was, who as an apparently brain-dead septuagenarian immediately gave the caller all of her banking information, account numbers and PASSWORDS. Again, I cannot over-emphasize: 70-year-olds are NOT stupid, we are NOT technology idiots; for that matter we are NOT all retired...and we sure as hell aren't named Loretta and Norm.
And so I packed it in.
That said, THIS IS INDEED A SERIOUS ISSUE. When we reported our own call to the local cops, we were told that (A) there was nothing they could do about it, and (B) this has become WAY common. So be prepared: set up a password or test question with all of your kids and spouses, something simple but obscure like "name your cousins in New York" or "what is your Chinese name?" or "what instrument did your grandpa play?"…anything that can be used to confirm their identify. Or if nothing else, as soon as you finish the call - without giving away your entire life savings or other keys to the kingdom, of course - call your real kid and ask if he IS in jail, or been in an accident, or whatever.
These bastards are getting increasingly sophisticated and convincing; long gone are the Nigerian princes of yore. But with just a minimum of planning, you can nip such scams in the bud so that you don't end up having to fly off to Romania to deal with Eastern European gangsters, like the poor numbskull in this book. A little preparation goes a seriously LONG way.
January 21, 2023
Move over Miss Marple
Quinn’s bestselling series featuring Chet and Bernie succeeds because of the narration of Chet the dog: easily distracted, random thought connections and unique insights. It turns out that seventy-one year old Loretta Plansky has more in common with Chet than one would suspect. As a contemporary of Loretta, I recognize many of her ways of thinking, especially when she “channels” her dead husband. The “I’m your grandson and I need money to get out of trouble” scam is of real concern as one gets older. Traveling to Romania to investigate would be a daydream for most of us. The result is humorous, exciting, and ultimately hard to put down. As we found out with The Tuesday Murder Club series, not all mysteries need to feature Miss Marple types to be good.
Thank you to Edelweiss Plus and Forge Books for access to the prepub ebook.
Quinn’s bestselling series featuring Chet and Bernie succeeds because of the narration of Chet the dog: easily distracted, random thought connections and unique insights. It turns out that seventy-one year old Loretta Plansky has more in common with Chet than one would suspect. As a contemporary of Loretta, I recognize many of her ways of thinking, especially when she “channels” her dead husband. The “I’m your grandson and I need money to get out of trouble” scam is of real concern as one gets older. Traveling to Romania to investigate would be a daydream for most of us. The result is humorous, exciting, and ultimately hard to put down. As we found out with The Tuesday Murder Club series, not all mysteries need to feature Miss Marple types to be good.
Thank you to Edelweiss Plus and Forge Books for access to the prepub ebook.
July 4, 2023
Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of Mrs. Plansksy's Revenge. I found it to be quite entertaining. If only I was as brave as this 71yr old grandmother!
This book was fast paced with humor, family aspect, sadness and a teeny tiny bit of romance. I do think there could be a book 2 with Dino or Max in America and their adventures, I would definitely read that. I enjoyed the writing style of Spencer Quinn, this is my first book by him and now I'm going to check out some of his other books.
In one night all of Mrs. Planksys money was gone. She thought she was helping her grandson Will with a DUI arrest. However, the scammers took every penny she had, over 3 million dollars! I think I would have fainted when I heard that. But no, Loretta hops on a plane to a foreign country and finds out what happened to her money.
The sad thing about this story is that this really happens to people every day. I myself years ago was scammed out of $500 and unfortunately I didn't get my money back either. Why can't people get a real job with their talents? They are obviously talented to be able to pull something like this off.
Thank you again to Netgalley, Macmillan audio and Spencer Quinn for my advanced audio copy.
This book was fast paced with humor, family aspect, sadness and a teeny tiny bit of romance. I do think there could be a book 2 with Dino or Max in America and their adventures, I would definitely read that. I enjoyed the writing style of Spencer Quinn, this is my first book by him and now I'm going to check out some of his other books.
In one night all of Mrs. Planksys money was gone. She thought she was helping her grandson Will with a DUI arrest. However, the scammers took every penny she had, over 3 million dollars! I think I would have fainted when I heard that. But no, Loretta hops on a plane to a foreign country and finds out what happened to her money.
The sad thing about this story is that this really happens to people every day. I myself years ago was scammed out of $500 and unfortunately I didn't get my money back either. Why can't people get a real job with their talents? They are obviously talented to be able to pull something like this off.
Thank you again to Netgalley, Macmillan audio and Spencer Quinn for my advanced audio copy.
August 20, 2023
Mrs. Plansky's revenge by Spencer Quinn tells us how Mrs. Loretta Plansky, a widow in her seventies, travels to Romania in search of money which she has lost to scammers. A fun, light mystery about an increasingly common cybercrime. I found it a bit annoying that Mrs. Plansky constantly seemed to question her memory and thoughts and whether or not she was voicing them. She was protrayed as capable and sensible in parts and foolish in others and her feisty actions did not seem to match. A fun adventure although rather drawn out in parts.
August 11, 2023
"Everything evens out in the end."
...and Loretta Plansky's has sure a way to move things along!
Mrs. Plansky is not your ordinary 71 years old woman, as it may appear at first glance. Sure she has her relaxing tennis club, her particular way to see the world, and she's moved into a condo after her late husband died... but when she gets robbed after a late-night call in which the scammer took all her money pretending to be her nephew, she'll do something that nobody has ever done before: she hops on a plane, ready to hunt the culript down.
From the synopsis, Mrs. Plansky's Revenge promised to be a fun read. Plus, although I'm not a big fan of thrillers, I'm drawn to stories of victims taking their revenge. Even more so if they are victims of scams, and if they're elderlies.
Everything was brewing up to give me a pleasant read - Spencer Quinn's style is also fresh and plain, making for an easy read, but not a simplistic one.
I mean yes, you can guess from the start of the book what the outcome will be, but it doesn't take anything away from the experience. You still don't know how we'll get there - we're not given the gift of omniscent readers, but we're put in the same position as Loretta. Only because we know who did it, and a little bit of how they did it, doesn't mean we know everything about the case: it will be both thrilling and charming to discover it alongside our heroin.
With wit, charisma, and some heartwarming (and heartbreaking) moments along the way, we discover more not just of the main character, but of the antagonists too. I suppose the author wanted to give us a different perspective of the situation, and not completely give away what we would call a happy ending, but I also feel it could have been approached better. I will not argue that it is more realistic this way, but because of the tone of the book, I was not exactly expecting complete realism.
Final Thoughts
Spencer Quinn's Mrs. Plansky's Revenge is what people would call a beach read: engaging, entertaining, and easy to read. This doesn't take away the depth of the story or the characters, especially the main one. I loved discovering more about her life and I found the author to have a delicate and perceptive way of describing how it feels to have so many decades on one's shoulders, but also so much wisdom and insight into human nature.
More reviews at Inky Lighthouse .
June 22, 2023
Mrs. Plansky's Revenge is the first book in a new series by Spencer Quinn. Prior to its July 25, 2023, release, Tor Books provided an early galley for review.
This was a new author for me; I had not read any books under this penname or his birth name Peter Abrahams. It took me a little bit to get into the rhythm of his writing rhythms. I found myself wondering about some of the narrative choices in the first few chapters (like why have Loretta go all the way back home only to get a call to leave again, or the fact that she is identified constantly calls her Mrs. Plansky in the narrations rather than Loretta - it seemed awkward).
Oddly enough, I found myself instantly interested in the part of the storyline involving Dinu, the young scammer-in-training. I connected to this character initially more than I did the entire Plansky clan (whom I found to be occasionally annoying and a bit naive).
The story line flows down some paths that had my eyebrows raised (as in questioning the jumps through hoops that it took to get the main premise in place), but then just over halfway through in chapter 20 something very interesting occurs (no spoilers). This was enough to keep me reading to see how everything would play out. In the end, for me it was just an okay story.
This was a new author for me; I had not read any books under this penname or his birth name Peter Abrahams. It took me a little bit to get into the rhythm of his writing rhythms. I found myself wondering about some of the narrative choices in the first few chapters (like why have Loretta go all the way back home only to get a call to leave again, or the fact that she is identified constantly calls her Mrs. Plansky in the narrations rather than Loretta - it seemed awkward).
Oddly enough, I found myself instantly interested in the part of the storyline involving Dinu, the young scammer-in-training. I connected to this character initially more than I did the entire Plansky clan (whom I found to be occasionally annoying and a bit naive).
The story line flows down some paths that had my eyebrows raised (as in questioning the jumps through hoops that it took to get the main premise in place), but then just over halfway through in chapter 20 something very interesting occurs (no spoilers). This was enough to keep me reading to see how everything would play out. In the end, for me it was just an okay story.
July 20, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC. It hasn't affected the contents of my review.
Mrs. Plansky's Revenge, a book I'm having a hard time slotting into a particular genre, isn't going to rock your world, but you will probably have a good to great time with it. Just a solid, fun little book that tweaks your emotions a tad every now and then. I guess let's call it cozy crime/adventure. It's not a mystery, not a thriller, not (despite what the title implies) a revenge story (any revenge Mrs. Plansky gets is sort of accidental).
A wealthy older woman is scammed by a Romanian crime gang and all of her money stolen (never use the same password across multiple accounts!), and instead of just accepting it as most people do, she decides to get her money back on her own. (This is actually a spoiler and doesn't happen until halfway through the book, but it's in the synopsis, so . . . ) We also follow the young Romanian man named Dinu (not sure of spelling, listened to the audio) who did the scamming. It's his uncle's crime gang, and we get a fairly nuanced look at how someone like him could be persuaded to scam lonely old people despite being a fairly good person.
Mrs. Plansky is resourceful and determined with a good head on her shoulders, so it's fun to follow her as she tracks down her money and tries to get it back (although there is a bit of the bumbling accidental spy sort of trope in here as well, where things happen more accidentally than they would in real life). Dinu is a poor kid with a shitty family. It also gets a wee bit sexy, as part of seventy-two year old widow Mrs. Plansky's journey is to meet a dashing foreign journalist who is investigating cybercrime in the country, and he takes to her pretty much right away.
I would definitely recommend this one if you're looking for something easy to read and on the more heartwarming side of this type of story (whatever type that is?).
Mrs. Plansky's Revenge, a book I'm having a hard time slotting into a particular genre, isn't going to rock your world, but you will probably have a good to great time with it. Just a solid, fun little book that tweaks your emotions a tad every now and then. I guess let's call it cozy crime/adventure. It's not a mystery, not a thriller, not (despite what the title implies) a revenge story (any revenge Mrs. Plansky gets is sort of accidental).
A wealthy older woman is scammed by a Romanian crime gang and all of her money stolen (never use the same password across multiple accounts!), and instead of just accepting it as most people do, she decides to get her money back on her own. (This is actually a spoiler and doesn't happen until halfway through the book, but it's in the synopsis, so . . . ) We also follow the young Romanian man named Dinu (not sure of spelling, listened to the audio) who did the scamming. It's his uncle's crime gang, and we get a fairly nuanced look at how someone like him could be persuaded to scam lonely old people despite being a fairly good person.
Mrs. Plansky is resourceful and determined with a good head on her shoulders, so it's fun to follow her as she tracks down her money and tries to get it back (although there is a bit of the bumbling accidental spy sort of trope in here as well, where things happen more accidentally than they would in real life). Dinu is a poor kid with a shitty family. It also gets a wee bit sexy, as part of seventy-two year old widow Mrs. Plansky's journey is to meet a dashing foreign journalist who is investigating cybercrime in the country, and he takes to her pretty much right away.
I would definitely recommend this one if you're looking for something easy to read and on the more heartwarming side of this type of story (whatever type that is?).
May 4, 2024
3.75🌟
Read for book club
Audiobook (narrated by Petrea Burchard)
First, I am a huge fan of the Chet and Bernie Mystery series by Spencer Quinn, so when I read about this book, I knew I had to read it too. Second, the cyber crime that empties the bank accounts of the elderly is horrendous and happens way too often. It hurt my heart when it happens in the story, just as if I knew the victims. Third, the idea that a woman in her seventies would actually travel to Romania where she didn’t speak the language and manage to run into the right people and finally recover all her money is a bit beyond belief. But you know what? I didn’t care. I enjoyed the book despite some flaws in logic. I wanted the revenge as much as Mrs. Plansky did. NOTE: Some crude language and sexual innuendoes.
Robin’s Ratings
5🌟 = Out of this world. Amazing. Unforgettable. A personal favorite.
4🌟 = Loved it. Will recommend to others.
3🌟 = Liked it. Glad I read it.
2🌟 = The book was okay, but I’ve enjoyed others so much more.
1🌟 = I didn’t like it and can’t recommend it.
Read for book club
Audiobook (narrated by Petrea Burchard)
First, I am a huge fan of the Chet and Bernie Mystery series by Spencer Quinn, so when I read about this book, I knew I had to read it too. Second, the cyber crime that empties the bank accounts of the elderly is horrendous and happens way too often. It hurt my heart when it happens in the story, just as if I knew the victims. Third, the idea that a woman in her seventies would actually travel to Romania where she didn’t speak the language and manage to run into the right people and finally recover all her money is a bit beyond belief. But you know what? I didn’t care. I enjoyed the book despite some flaws in logic. I wanted the revenge as much as Mrs. Plansky did. NOTE: Some crude language and sexual innuendoes.
Robin’s Ratings
5🌟 = Out of this world. Amazing. Unforgettable. A personal favorite.
4🌟 = Loved it. Will recommend to others.
3🌟 = Liked it. Glad I read it.
2🌟 = The book was okay, but I’ve enjoyed others so much more.
1🌟 = I didn’t like it and can’t recommend it.
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