I was well into a third of the book and still could not determine the point of the book. There was a great deal of description of the characters and settings, which was well done, but the plot development was very slow to the point that it was difficult to finish the book. All of my attention after a while was wondering what was the point of the book rather than enjoying it. For this reason, I would not recommend it for a class.

Mrs. Plansky's Revenge - I LOVED the characters. Especially Mrs. Plansky. This book had all of the elements I would want in a cozy mystery - fun, twists and turns with a bit of humor mixed in too. The narrator was fantastic and I could not stop listening! It was the perfect book to read in between the heavier books I have been reading. Thanks NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC!

A fresh take on an active cozy mystery!

I really enjoyed this book! I wasn’t sure what to expect and it did start out slow in the sense that not a lot of “action” was happening but it went to set the scene well and made the rest of the events believable.

Mrs. Plansky was such a wonderful character! The author did a great job of setting her up as a competent thought grief-stricken woman who loved her family. That set up allows understanding for what happens and makes room for a log or character growth just in this first book. (I would assume it’s a series but am not sure.)

I think those who love adventurous cozy mystery’s would enjoy this. For some reason I want to say it’s like Murder She Wrote meets Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn (though less graphic).

Also, the audio narrator does and excellent job!

My rating: 4.3*

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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced listening copy! All opinions are my own.

I love the premise of the book and was quickly attached to the characters. However, the book starts very, very slow and the mutiple POVs slow it down even further. I think I would have enjoyed seeing the story only from Mrs. Plansky's point of view and then humanized the scammers, but I just found my interest waning big time.

This was a cute book and will definitely read another book by this author. I really enjoyed the humor this book used.

I was unfamiliar with this author (either under this pen name or his own name) and I spent the first few chapters trying to figure out the disconnect of what seemed to be comedic content with a very sobering cyber crime: the old fake-grandchild-asking-for-money-ploy.

Mrs. Loretta Plansky seemed a likeable retiree who lived in a senior community, enjoyed tennis with friends, and a [mostly] leisurely life (when not dealing with her cantankerous father). Perhaps a little too likeable in that everyone (her daughter, daughter's boyfriend, son and father) all were happy to stand in line for handouts from Loretta. I did have the thought that if you are foolhardy enough to promise $250K to one child and $750K to another that you are well on your way to proving the old adage, "A fool and his money are soon parted." However, before those greedy children can get their hot little hands on the money, a young imposter from Romania calls Loretta posing as her grandson Will with a sob story about being in jail, etc.

I find it a bit suspect that in this day and age that a 71-year-old woman would STILL fall for this routine. The woman must not read or watch any news. But this is fiction after all, so she lets the caller have her password to her bank account (say what?!) so he can make an online transfer of less than $10,000.

Surprise, surprise, the next morning all of Loretta's money at the bank has been drained. And to add insult to injury, her investments are gone as well (because she uses the same password for both--who still uses one password for all accounts?). As the author is giving the reader a glimpse into Loretta's character, there is a lot of internal dialogue that would seem to indicate a woman whose marbles may not be all accounted for. In spite of this, Loretta takes it into her head to try pursuing the thieves and her quest takes her to Romania where she manages to outsmart and outmaneuver corrupt law enforcement and various other goons.

If you are looking for a completely farcical tale in which to immerse yourself, then Mrs. Plansky's Revenge may be just the ticket. A note of caution, however, this particular farce is served up with a large side of profanity and bawdy humor. Two aspects that quite frankly made it a challenge for me to finish reading and make it impossible for me to recommend.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital audio recording of Mrs. Plansky's Revenge from NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received and the views expressed are entirely my own.

Mrs. Plansky's Revenge is bestselling author Spencer Quinn's first novel in a new series since the meteoric launch of Chet and Bernie—introducing the irresistible and unforgettable Mrs. Plansky, in a story perfect for book clubs and commercial-fiction listeners.

This was an enjoyable and quick read reminiscent of The Unexpected Mrs Policies and the Thursday Murder Club, although I found the more personal nature of the crime to be a bit depressing. I also found the narrator to be a little too young sounding for our MC.

Overall, this is a fun new series and.I look forward to more.

This was an interesting read. Mrs. Plansky is a sassy, vibrant MFC. I felt so terrible after what happened to her. I immediately felt connected to her. Crimes committed against elderly people are so sad.

The story is told in a sort of off putting way. The author refers to Mrs. Plansky as Mrs. Plansky even in chapters told from her point of view. It made the story feel a little off in my opinion. The pacing also seemed off. The story really dragged in the middle third and then the ending felt rushed. I was happy for Mrs. Plansky for how her situation turned out, but it seemed unbelievable. There were multiple things that happened in Romania that just didn’t seem very realistic to me.

The narrator did a great job bringing the characters to life, but I think it story could have benefited from multiple narrators.

Overall, it’s an okay story, but sadly nothing memorable for me..

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 there 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.

I love this author’s Chet & Bernie series, so I jumped at the chance to read this book. As much as I like the narrator of the Chet & Bernie books, I’m glad this wasn’t read by the same person. It clarifies that this is not part of that series, and it works better that this story is narrated by a woman. She does a great job portraying Mrs. Plansky’s determination and persistence, and she voices the other characters well too.

I loved this story, although I wasn’t fond of the MC’s offspring, who seem to think of her primarily as an ATM. Her father’s curmudgeonly antics were surprisingly endearing, perhaps because I’m seeing similar traits in my own mother. I couldn’t help rooting for Loretta – although she is called Mrs. Plansky throughout most of the book, which puzzled me – to succeed in her quest. Most seniors would not be able to chase after criminals the way she did, so that was a little unrealistic, but it also made it easier to cheer her on.

From the moment the theft is committed, we know who is responsible, so the rest of the book focuses on Mrs. Plansky’s journey and her pursuit of the scammers. A lot of improbable events fell into place along the way, requiring the reader to suspend disbelief on more than one occasion, but by the end of the story, many of those pieces worked in her favor. I liked the resolution to the story, and would certainly read more of her adventures if this turns into a new series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Loved this cozy mystery from Quinn.
Well written and the narrator did a great job. Fun listen as I love cozy mysteries. Hopefully this one becomes a series!

I'm a huge fan of author Spencer Quinn, and really enjoyed what I hope is the first book in a new series.

Mrs. Plansky is a feisty lady in her early 20's who lives in a retirement community after the death of her husband. She and her husband were quite wealthy, running their own business for many years, and now she gets many requests from family members for money to help them out. When she gets a call in the middle of the night to help her grandson with a fine for a DUI, she doesn't think twice about helping him, giving him her password to move $10,000 to pay the fine. When she wakes the next morning, she gets calls from her bank and her investment company to say that all of her money, almost $4 million, has gone... She was a victim of a scammer...

We hear this story from two main point of view - both Mrs. Planksy and her young scammer. It was a very interesting way to hear this story.

Mrs. Plansky is worried, and then angry, and decides to try and sort the problem out herself. The FBI is involved, and as the scam appears to have originated in Romania, they don't hold out much chance of her getting her money back. She travels to Romania herself, to uncover what is going on.

I liked her character, and her willingness to get involved. Her family disappointed me with the way they talked to her and treated her, but she was determined to show she could sort things out herself.

Ideal I think for fans of Ricard Osman's The Thursday Murder club, and Leighann Dobb's Lexy Baker series, this was a great book to listen to. The narrator did a very good job of keeping the characters very distinct for the audiobook.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Really cute but different cozy mystery! Liked teh characters and the story itself lol wasn't expecting that for sure!

Spencer Quinn takes a break from Chet & Bernie to give us a stand-alone - the wonderful Mrs. Plansky's Revenge.

"Loretta Plansky is a recent widow, living out her retirement in Florida. One night she gets a call from her grandson, needing money to help with a problem. The next day she discovers that she is the victim of a scam and her bank account and investment account is empty. The FBI tells her that her caller probably called from a little village in Romania so she heads there looking for answers. Mayhem ensues!"

You have to love Loretta. She is dealing with all of those things that happen as we age, but still plays a mean game of tennis. And is pretty handy driving a motorcycle when she needs to be. She has to face some challenges, especially as a widow. That doesn't stop her.

Great audiobook performance from Petrea Burchard. Her voice is perfect for Loretta. I can see Loretta through her voice.

If you have older parents you'll recognize a lot of what Loretta is going through.
This is a fun story from Quinn.

What. a fun, original story! Reminded me of two of my favorite series currently, The Thursday Murder Club and Marlow Murder Club, Mrs. Plansky decides to not take the crime she’s a victim of ruin her life, she takes an adventure to solve it herself. Great characters, a fun mystery, and ultimately a story of moving on and acts of grace.

When Mrs Plansky falls for a scam and loose over 3 million dollars, she decides to take matters into her own hands and get her money back. This book is a great light read with so many funny moments.

Thank you Netgalley for this audio ARC. #Netgalley #mrsplanksysrevenge
Pub: July 25, 2023

My husband and I listened to this Mrs. Plansky’s revenge on a recent road trip and totally enjoyed it! Mrs. Plansky’s thoughts were entertaining and completely relatable. She was brave, interesting and capable. There were seemingly irrelevant details that later came up to be important to the story.

Setting the Scene: Recently widowed Mrs. Plansky is settling into retirement in Florida where she deals with her surprisingly spry 98 year old dad and fields requests for money from her kids and grandkids. Awakened from a sound sleep one night, Mrs. Plansky falls for a scam that costs her everything, more than 3 million dollars. Law enforcement confirms her loss but deems recovery hopeless. Initially, Mrs. Plansky is devastated, until she becomes angry and determined to get her money back, starting in a small village in Romania.

What I Thought: This is a well written book with well developed characters and a unique plot. Mrs. Plansky is an intelligent, if somewhat overly generous, woman. She is handling her retirement and widowhood relatively well, even though her family seems a bit demanding, especially of her money. Her journey to recover her savings is eye opening for her and readers, taking on a number of stereotypes. That said, I fast forwarded through a lot of this book, not because the book was poorly written but because it was too well written. Here is what I mean. I chose to listen to this book because my husband and I fell prey to scammers last year, and while we did not lose everything, as Mrs. Plansky did, we lost a good percentage of our retirement money. We felt much of what she did, anger, humiliation, frustration, and fear. Unlike Mrs. Plansky, we had no way to recover our loss. I thought I would identify with this protagonist, and her journey, and I did. In fact, it hit so close to home that I had to fast forward through the pain to get to her victory over events. That was stupendous, and for more reasons than you might think. I recommend this book, but if you have been a victim of a scam, be prepared.

The narrator did an excellent job with the characters.

This was a really interesting premise and done really well. It felt like a coming of age adventure with the character “finding” themselves which was fun considering the age. Also seeing the POV of the scammer was super interesting.

This was a sort of cheesy but overall enjoyable book. I loved the start of the story but then it dwindled out as it became too far fetched. It starts with Mrs.Plansky falling victim to a cyber scam and has all of her money stolen. The story went off the rails a bit as Mrs.Plansky travels to Romania in search of the people who stole from her. You cannot take this book too seriously while reading it because a lot of it is too unbelievable. Still a cute story!
Thanks to NetGalley and Forge books for sending me an advanced copy of the book to read and review.