Spencer Quinn
Author of Dog on It
About the Author
Peter Abrahams was born in Boston, Massachusetts on June 28, 1947. His works include Lights Out, The Fan, Crying Wolf, and Oblivion. He also writes the Echo Falls Mysteries Series for younger readers. He was the winner of the 2010 Edgar Award, Best Young Adult Mystery for Reality Check. In show more addition, he writes the Chet and Bernie Mystery Series under the pseudonym Spencer Quinn. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Disambiguation Notice:
A pseudonym of Peter Abrahams Please don't combine since there are multiple Peter Abrahams.
Image credit: http://www.jungleredwriters.com/2009/04/catch-lie.html
Series
Works by Spencer Quinn
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Abrahams, Peter
- Birthdate
- 1947-06-28
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Williams College (AB|1968)
- Agent
- Molly Friedrich
- Short biography
- AKA: Peter Abrahams (born June 28, 1947) is an American writer of crime fiction for both adults and children. His works include Oblivion, The Tutor, The Fury of Rachel Monette, Hard Rain, The Fan, Crying Wolf, The Right Side (written under his pen name, Spencer Quinn), the Echo Falls Mysteries for children, and Lights Out, the last of which was nominated for an Edgar Award for best novel. Reality Check won the best young adult Edgar Award in 2011. Down the Rabbit Hole, first in the Echo Falls series, won the best children's/young adult Agatha Award in 2005. The Fan was adapted into a film starring Robert De Niro and directed by Tony Scott (1996).
His literary influences are Vladimir Nabokov, Graham Greene, and Ross Macdonald. Stephen King has referred to him as "my favorite American suspense novelist".
Born in Boston, Abrahams lives in Falmouth, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. He is married and has four children including Rosie Gray. He graduated from Williams College in 1968.
Spencer Quinn lives on Cape Cod with his dog, Audrey. He is currently working on the next Chet and Bernie novel. - Nationality
- USA
- Places of residence
- Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA
- Map Location
- Massachusetts, USA
- Disambiguation notice
- A pseudonym of Peter Abrahams Please don't combine since there are multiple Peter Abrahams.
Members
Discussions
Chet & Bernie Mysteries ~ Dog On It ~ Spencer Quinn in Quote Keepers (July 2025)
Found: Mystery Florida Widow Scammed in Name that Book (February 2025)
Reviews
Oh my gosh, this so completely charming and fun to read, I loved it!
*
Mrs Plansky, a 71-year-old widow, is woken up in the middle of the night by a call from her grandson who needs $9k to bail himself out of jail after a DUI. Mrs. Plansky happily helps him out, only to discover the next day it was a scam who wiped out her entire life savings, nearly $4 million. She refuses to be a victim, and decides she will do whatever she has to do to get her money back.
*
Ok yes, this requires a great deal show more of suspension of disbelief, but what an amazing premise, and I have not rooted for a character as much in a really long time. I'm not usually one for cozy mysteries (and this isn't that either, but a somewhat similar feel), but I absolutely loved this and couldn't wait to see how it all unfolded.
*
I also thought it was really interesting to get the perspective of the scammer himself, making him an actual human being who, while maybe doesn't have a heart of gold, is not evil.
*
I also really enjoyed all the other aspects of Mrs Plansky's life we got to see, even though nearly every family member she has is pretty terrible, it made her very real.
*
I highly recommend if you're looking for something light and fun and a memorable character! show less
*
Mrs Plansky, a 71-year-old widow, is woken up in the middle of the night by a call from her grandson who needs $9k to bail himself out of jail after a DUI. Mrs. Plansky happily helps him out, only to discover the next day it was a scam who wiped out her entire life savings, nearly $4 million. She refuses to be a victim, and decides she will do whatever she has to do to get her money back.
*
Ok yes, this requires a great deal show more of suspension of disbelief, but what an amazing premise, and I have not rooted for a character as much in a really long time. I'm not usually one for cozy mysteries (and this isn't that either, but a somewhat similar feel), but I absolutely loved this and couldn't wait to see how it all unfolded.
*
I also thought it was really interesting to get the perspective of the scammer himself, making him an actual human being who, while maybe doesn't have a heart of gold, is not evil.
*
I also really enjoyed all the other aspects of Mrs Plansky's life we got to see, even though nearly every family member she has is pretty terrible, it made her very real.
*
I highly recommend if you're looking for something light and fun and a memorable character! show less
I love the author's Chet and Bernie books so I jumped at the chance to listen to this one. He once again creates memorable and mostly realistic characters. I loved Mrs. Plansky, who refers to herself as Mrs. Plansky throughout the book. This bothered many readers but I really didn't notice until it was pointed out in reviews. For many senior women, their identity has always been tied to their husbands even after death. Mrs. Plansky had been a smart business woman who remains active after her show more husband's death despite a recent hip replacement. She is still sharp except, like many of us old folks, in cyber matters. This is a cautionary tale of a very real cyber crime in which she is bilked out of her entire fortune. Lesson to be learned-don't reuse the same password and never give out info on the phone.She goes to the authorities but gets not much help so she decides to take matters in her own hands. The crime against her is unfortunately all too real and occurs frequently. The revenge, however, requires some suspension of belief.
I wish I would have the guts to travel to Romania alone to take on a group of thugs like she did. Even if this is not realistic it is still engaging and makes for many comedic moments. The characters are wonderful! Mrs. Plansky's 98 year old father is a hoot. It's easy to see where she gets her pluck. I loved listening to Dinu try to learn English.
I listened to a copy of the audiobook gifted to me by NetGalley and Macmillan Audio. Petrea Burchard did a good job bringing Mrs. Plansky to life. She sounded very realistic as a plucky 71 year old. She also did well on all the foreign characters. Her pace and moderation were excellent and easy to listen to.
As with all of Spencer Quinn's books, this isn't high literature but it sure is a fun book. The pace was a little slow, but that just meant I wasn't as likely to stay up until 4am listening but instead found a stopping point and picked it back up easily. I hope we will see more of Mrs. Plansky in the future. Maybe she could get a dog.
Even though I received an early copy of this book, I would still have read it anyway. This is an honest and voluntary review. show less
I wish I would have the guts to travel to Romania alone to take on a group of thugs like she did. Even if this is not realistic it is still engaging and makes for many comedic moments. The characters are wonderful! Mrs. Plansky's 98 year old father is a hoot. It's easy to see where she gets her pluck. I loved listening to Dinu try to learn English.
I listened to a copy of the audiobook gifted to me by NetGalley and Macmillan Audio. Petrea Burchard did a good job bringing Mrs. Plansky to life. She sounded very realistic as a plucky 71 year old. She also did well on all the foreign characters. Her pace and moderation were excellent and easy to listen to.
As with all of Spencer Quinn's books, this isn't high literature but it sure is a fun book. The pace was a little slow, but that just meant I wasn't as likely to stay up until 4am listening but instead found a stopping point and picked it back up easily. I hope we will see more of Mrs. Plansky in the future. Maybe she could get a dog.
Even though I received an early copy of this book, I would still have read it anyway. This is an honest and voluntary review. show less
Mrs. Plansky is a the perfect protagonist - likable, flawed, eccentric, unreliable. She loves her family and supports them to a fault, so when she receives a call from her grandson asking for money, she immediately complies. When she realizes she's been scammed out of her (and her late husband's) life savings from the invention of an unusual kitchen appliance, she takes action.
Mrs. Plansky is resourceful and often sharp, though she is occasionally confused.
I became frustrated about halfway show more through when a few too many happy coincidences took place. Of course, this novel isn't one to take literally, and I'm fine suspending disbelief to a point. But she got a bit too lucky a few too many times. For that reason, I find it hard to imagine a second book in this series, as the first already required a lot of implausibilities.
I rooted for Mrs. Plansky and loved her internal monologue. Her thinking made sense to me, and I liked watching her grow throughout the novel.
I would read more from this author. show less
Mrs. Plansky is resourceful and often sharp, though she is occasionally confused.
I became frustrated about halfway show more through when a few too many happy coincidences took place. Of course, this novel isn't one to take literally, and I'm fine suspending disbelief to a point. But she got a bit too lucky a few too many times. For that reason, I find it hard to imagine a second book in this series, as the first already required a lot of implausibilities.
I rooted for Mrs. Plansky and loved her internal monologue. Her thinking made sense to me, and I liked watching her grow throughout the novel.
I would read more from this author. show less
IN A NUTSHELL
'Mrs Plansky’s Revenge’ was a wonderful read. It was one of those rare books that I really did find uplifting. The plot requires some suspension of disbelief (or at least of the jaded, cynical way I normally view the world), but I completely believed in Mrs Plansky. She was a wonderful creation: determined, clever, self-deprecating and… nice. Not so nice that she’ll let you get away with cheating her, but nice enough to recognise that the people cheating her might not be show more all bad.
'Mrs Plansky's Revenge' is an escapist fantasy about a recently widowed old woman who falls for a telephone scam, thinking that she's helping her grandson, loses all her money and then goes to Romania, determined to get it back.
That's a premise so unlikely that, especially when the book is tagged as 'uplifting', I'd normally pass it over as so sweet it would make my teeth ache.
I tried this one out firstly because I'd enjoyed Spencer Quinn's Chet and Bernie novels, secondly because reviewers I trust liked it, and thirdly because I'm always in the market for a good novel about old people.
This novel works because, although it has a good thriller-with-a-comic-twist plot, based on true-to-life scams, the book is actually character-driven. It's Mrs Plansky who is the star attraction, and Mrs Plansky felt real to me. Yes, the plot involved significant suspension of disbelief at times, but it never required Mrs Plansky to be anyone but herself. And I was cheering for her at every challenge she faced.
I think the cleverest thing about the book is that Spencer Quinn introduces Mrs Plansky when her life is in transition. She's grieving for the loss of her husband of many decades. A man who was her best friend. A man she had raised a family and built a business with. A man without whom she feels incomplete. The business has been sold. The children have moved away. Mrs Plansky is living in Florida, a place she'd retired to with her husband. but which is harder to enjoy without him. Getting scammed makes her feel foolish and vulnerable and then very, very angry. Her quest to get her money back, the money she and her husband worked together to make, becomes her journey towards understanding the kind of person she is and the life she now wants to lead.
Better still, all of that is delivered with humour, sharp observations on the indignities of growing old and exciting plot twists that kept me turning the pages.
I also liked that this wasn't a story of American triumphalism with a tough old lady going and teaching those nasty, criminal foreigners a lesson. Part of the charm of the book is that not all of those criminals are nasty and not all of thoseforeigners are criminals. It's Mrs Plansky's ability to see these people clearly which enables her to succeed.
I think Spence Quinn has hit gold with this. I've already bought the next book, ‘Mrs Plansky Goes Rogue’ (2025).
I recommend the audiobook version of 'Mrs Plansky's Revenge'. I thought Petrea Burchard's pacing and tone brought out the best in the book. Click on the YouTube link below to hear a sample.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzqs05fuvZo show less
'Mrs Plansky’s Revenge’ was a wonderful read. It was one of those rare books that I really did find uplifting. The plot requires some suspension of disbelief (or at least of the jaded, cynical way I normally view the world), but I completely believed in Mrs Plansky. She was a wonderful creation: determined, clever, self-deprecating and… nice. Not so nice that she’ll let you get away with cheating her, but nice enough to recognise that the people cheating her might not be show more all bad.
'Mrs Plansky's Revenge' is an escapist fantasy about a recently widowed old woman who falls for a telephone scam, thinking that she's helping her grandson, loses all her money and then goes to Romania, determined to get it back.
That's a premise so unlikely that, especially when the book is tagged as 'uplifting', I'd normally pass it over as so sweet it would make my teeth ache.
I tried this one out firstly because I'd enjoyed Spencer Quinn's Chet and Bernie novels, secondly because reviewers I trust liked it, and thirdly because I'm always in the market for a good novel about old people.
This novel works because, although it has a good thriller-with-a-comic-twist plot, based on true-to-life scams, the book is actually character-driven. It's Mrs Plansky who is the star attraction, and Mrs Plansky felt real to me. Yes, the plot involved significant suspension of disbelief at times, but it never required Mrs Plansky to be anyone but herself. And I was cheering for her at every challenge she faced.
I think the cleverest thing about the book is that Spencer Quinn introduces Mrs Plansky when her life is in transition. She's grieving for the loss of her husband of many decades. A man who was her best friend. A man she had raised a family and built a business with. A man without whom she feels incomplete. The business has been sold. The children have moved away. Mrs Plansky is living in Florida, a place she'd retired to with her husband. but which is harder to enjoy without him. Getting scammed makes her feel foolish and vulnerable and then very, very angry. Her quest to get her money back, the money she and her husband worked together to make, becomes her journey towards understanding the kind of person she is and the life she now wants to lead.
Better still, all of that is delivered with humour, sharp observations on the indignities of growing old and exciting plot twists that kept me turning the pages.
I also liked that this wasn't a story of American triumphalism with a tough old lady going and teaching those nasty, criminal foreigners a lesson. Part of the charm of the book is that not all of those criminals are nasty and not all of thoseforeigners are criminals. It's Mrs Plansky's ability to see these people clearly which enables her to succeed.
I think Spence Quinn has hit gold with this. I've already bought the next book, ‘Mrs Plansky Goes Rogue’ (2025).
I recommend the audiobook version of 'Mrs Plansky's Revenge'. I thought Petrea Burchard's pacing and tone brought out the best in the book. Click on the YouTube link below to hear a sample.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzqs05fuvZo show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 63
- Also by
- 4
- Members
- 14,538
- Popularity
- #1,580
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 748
- ISBNs
- 633
- Languages
- 12
- Favorited
- 11
