Mrs. Plansky's Revenge

It's an all-too-familiar story: elderly person is scammed by fraudsters claiming to be a grandchild in trouble.  "Please send money now!"  

In Spencer Quinn's new novel, Mrs. Plansky's Revenge, (#1,202) Mrs. Plansky is a wealthy Florida widow.  After her husband's death, she relocated to a smaller, comfortable condo and is slowly picking up the threads of her life.  Her adult children regard her as an endless piggybank for their latest "business" ventures.  Since they're her kids, she always obliges.  So when she receives a late night call purporting to be from her grandson Will, she hands over her bank information along with her password to send him the modest sum he has requested.  But of course, it's not Will.  The next morning, Mrs. Plansky gets calls from her local banker and her long-time financial advisor.  All of her funds are gone.  The FBI arrives on site, only to advise her to give up hope of ever recovering any of her money.  Most people would cave at this point, but not Mrs. Plansky!  She sets out to track down the perpetrators where they live and get back what belongs to her. 

Simultaneously, Quinn tells the story of the two teens in Romania caught up in something much bigger than themselves and where lives are at stake.  When their paths cross Mrs. Plansky's, the game is on!

A highly entertaining story that has you rooting for characters on both sides of the equation.  If only the real-life outcomes for actual victims of these crimes turned out so well...

Must admit, though, that I did not like the cover of the large print edition I read.  The illustration of Mrs. Plansky makes her look way too bland for the tough cookie she is!  Also, you would have no idea that she ventured off to Europe on her own from the ultra generic buildings in the background.  Just saying I think the book deserved a better cover!