Main characters who are senior citizens make novels attractive to, shall we say, readers of a certain age. Like me. With Loretta Plansky, Spencer Quinn has created a protagonist who not only is a senior citizen (she qualified for Medicare six years ago), but has some of the same aches and pains and elder problems that we face. However, unlike some other older characters in recent novels, Mrs. Plansky had not been an assassin or a CIA agent.

Mrs. Plansky and her late husband, Norm, made their modest fortune (she says she's merely very comfortable) creating a knife that also toasted bread. She's now living in Florida, playing tennis, getting used to her new hip, and dealing with her irascible father, who moved in with her after he was kicked out of a residential facility.

"Mrs. Plansky never fails to entertain, and her admirable personality, intrepid nature and ability to persevere are inspiring."

In the first novel, MRS. PLANSKY’S REVENGE, Mrs. Plansky’s pluck and determination are evident. We also see her intelligence, as well as her sometimes-failing memory and her soft side. Now she's back in Florida, and at the start of MRS. PLANSKY GOES ROGUE, she has just won a doubles tournament with her handsome partner, Kev Dinardo. It's raining, and since Kev had ridden his bike to the club, Mrs. Plansky drives him home. In the driveway of his beautiful house, she sees his large yacht momentarily before she hears the sound of a huge explosion. The yacht is destroyed in a raging fire, and not even the rain can dampen the flames. But Mrs. Plansky is confused. While Kev says it was hit by lightning, she didn't see any lightning strike. She just heard the loud boom when things exploded.

The next day, Kev is gone, and his house is empty. When her father happens to mention that he connected Kev with her son, Jack, Mrs. Plansky is concerned that she can't reach Jack. Like Kev, his calls go straight to voicemail. So she starts to investigate. And she does a darn good job.

Some deep diving (literally into the ocean off Kev's house), a little B&E (breaking and entering), a lot of phone calls, and two airplane flights are part of Mrs. Plansky's rogue adventures. One flight is definitely more exciting --- dare I say deadlier --- than the other. Spanish sunken ships, crooks, craft beer and a monstrous alligator named Fairbanks all inhabit this clever, delightful novel.

Mrs. Plansky never fails to entertain, and her admirable personality, intrepid nature and ability to persevere are inspiring. Spencer Quinn's narrative, with a narrator who shares Mrs. Plansky's thoughts and emotions as beautifully as any first-person narrative might, will be a tad familiar to fans of his Chet and Bernie series. We can only hope that Mrs. Plansky's adventures continue.