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.

3.75 stars

Appealing and gentle story of Mrs. Loretta Plansky, a wealthy widow who also is dealing with her cantankerous 98 year old father. Loretta is plucky and capable, but still gets taken in by an elaborate phone scam perpetrated by a gang in Europe. Here's where it gets interesting: after being told that she basically has zero chance of recovering her money, Loretta puts some clues together and flies to Europe to track down the thieves. Against all odds, she manages to find and confront them.

Yes, it's an unlikely scenario. But the characterizations are nicely done and Loretta is admirable in her determination and her humanity. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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 (told from the point of view of Mrs. Plansky and Dinu) 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.

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.

Loretta Plansky is a spry widow who lives well in Florida, with enough money to pay for her father to live in a pricey retirement home and to lavishly indulge her kids and grandchildren. Although Loretta is smart, she can be a bit scattered, which may be why she falls for the infamous “grandma” phone scam and gives up her financial details to Romanian scammers who completely clean her out.

When the authorities tell Loretta there isn’t anything they can do about these foreign scammers, Loretta doesn’t decide to set up a GoFundMe. Instead, she goes to Romania to track down the scammers and make them pay her back.

My husband really likes Spencer Quinn’s Chet and Bernie series, so I thought I’d give this book a try. I hesitated, because the thought of people who scam senior citizens makes my blood boil, but I went ahead. It didn’t start out well, because it seems like Loretta’s kids are close to scammers themselves, as they hit Loretta up for hundreds of thousands of dollars for their sure-to-fail ventures. Her father comes across as a real jerk, as well. But once we get through the actual Romanian scam, nearly halfway through the book, Loretta heads for Romania and things improve. Loretta’s meets a lot of interesting characters, and her adventurous nature comes to the fore, which helps her figure out exactly who runs the scam operation and how to turn the tables. The Romanian setting is well drawn too.

4 stars based on the second half.

I will recommend this book to fans of the Thursday Murder Club and the Unsolicited Advice of Vera Wong. Mrs. Plansky is a strong character who I hope to see again in a future book.

Not your average Florida widow.

OK, a willing suspension of disbelief is required to truly enjoy this book, but throw that rationality right out! What a romping good time!

I enjoyed Quinn's ability to paint the highly differing settings of the book and people, major and minor to the plot, that inhabited them. There were a few all around baddies and mooching family members that had few redeeming qualities, but most of the characters were well rounded and relatable. The action was quick, with fun twists and turns leading to a mostly satisfying conclusion. A part of me hoped that Loretta would be putting her foot down at home after her adventures and squashing familial exploiters there. Hmm . . . maybe I'll have to continue the story in my brain to work that out.

Mrs. Plansky's Revenge is a great choice for anyone who loves plucky older protagonists!

Mrs. Loretta Plansky falls for the "grandson in trouble" scam. Like many people, she uses the same password for all of her accounts. When a call comes in the middle of the night from a person who sounds like her grandson, she gladly logs into a fake money-sending program to send him money. She loses everything from her bank account as well as her investment accounts - more than 3 million dollars.

When one police officer tells her the truth, that she'll probably never see her money again, she decides to take things into her own hands and flies to Romania to talk to the embassy and the police. Ultimately, she decides to solve the mystery of the scammers herself, since no one else seems willing to do so.

Quinn's Chet and Bernie mysteries are some of my favorite mysteries because I love the way he writes characters and tells the story through the dog's eyes. When I began this book, I felt that he was writing this in a similar manner, and it bothered me a bit. I felt a woman's point of view ought to sound different than a dog's! But once I got into the story, that didn't bother me as much. I loved Loretta and how resourceful she was. This was a fun book to read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan for the advance copy of this book.

Overall, it is a cute story that had its own charm which I genuinely enjoyed, but its not one that I will be revisiting.

This is pure fun cosy crime with a cast of very believable characters. Mrs Plansky’s comments on those around her and the situation she finds herself in certainly made me chuckle. This was a perfect read to break up the more literary books I have recently been reading. I haven’t read any of Spencer Quinn’s previous books but will definitely go looking for more.

A middle of the night phone call wakes Loretta Plansky. The caller claims to be her beloved grandson who needs funds fast and she gives her bank account numbers. As expected, she's been scammed and the wealth she and her husband amassed as inventors is gone. The only thing the FBI can do is tell her the funds are traced to a small Romanian village. Widowed, 71-year-old Mrs. Plansky plucks up her courage and goes to Romania after her money. Readers are going to want more of the delightful Mrs. Plansky. Recommend to fans of Thursday Murder Club.

I love Spencer Quinn's novels, but this one didn't do it for me. It couldn't hold my interest and I had to put it down. I'm sure others will love it.

verbal-humor, situational-humor, dual-narrations, snarky, widow, crime, theft, greed, resilience, new series, first In series****

Mrs. Plansky is like an older Unsinkable Molly Brown. She worked through things for over fifty years with her husband, tolerated living in Florida with a bunch of over-reachers, survived her husband's terminal illness and death, and now faces being cyber-robbed by an unscrupulous pair in Eastern Europe. We also get the perspective from that pair of grandfather/grandson who did the deed. It's a fun romp with a remarkable cast of (real) characters.
I requested and received an EARC from Tor Publishing Group/Forge Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Delightful! Loretta Plansky is an endearing character along the lines of Jane Marple or Emily Pollifax who finds herself embracing life as it comes at her even though, at times, she is completely unsure what she is doing or why. I hope this is the start of a series-I will definitely be looking for more! Thank you to #netgalley and #forgebooks for this arc of #mrsplanskysrevenge to read and review, all opinions are my own.

Mrs. Plansky is a memorable protagonist. After being scammed out of money, she is determined to track down those who scammed her. She follows clues and ends up in Romania. She is courageous and gets not only her money, but her dignity back. A quick read that is lots of fun.

QUICK 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.

I am a rabid fan of the author’s Chet and Bernie series, so I was excited to read his first book in what I hope will be a long and successful series.

Quinn has a gift for creating smart, but relatable characters and Mrs. Plansky is no exception. When she is a victim of cyber-crime, I was outraged.

When she decided to “ do something about it,” I thought “ you go, girl.” When she was successful, I thought: “ of course I knew she could do it.”

When she found romance, I thought she deserved it.

In summary,na totally satisfying adventure with a great protagonist.

Thanks so much Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for an advance read in exchange for this review.

Mrs. Plansky is a retiree and settling into her retirement. She receives a call that she thinks is from her grandson asking for 10K to get out of a jam. By morning, she realizes she has lost everything. She decides to go to Romania to try to get everything back. I thought this was a fun read! Don't underestimate a granny.

Mrs. Plansky's Revenge was delightful. I do know that some people are going to be annoyed that it isn't a Chet & Bernie book. Perfect for fans of Mrs. Pollifax and other strong female older protagonists. Funny and witty, with more plot than a cozy.

An enjoyable and clever story about Mrs. Plansky, her lost savings, and how she was smart and clever enough to turn the tables on the men responsible.