Necessary Larcey
Foreword

Conned out of millions of dollars by slick fraud artists, the senior citizen victims are left impoverished and are too embarrassed to report the crime for fear younger relatives will deem them incompetent and remove what little control they still have over their lives.
Then, a hero emerges with a plan, a sting operation is launched to recover the stolen funds and the Necessary Larceny adventure begins.
Witty, heartwarming and intriguing, Necessary Larceny establishes Ian Stout as an important literary fi nd, placing him fi rmly in the ranks of Canada’s fi nest story-tellers.
Stout writes about the seniors populating his novel with great warmth and affection: We feel their losses, rejoice in their victories and share their invigorating sense of achievement and accomplishment in a society that for the most part considers seniors irrelevant.
Without ever resorting to preaching, Stout examines the plight of far too many elderly who exist in a state of limbo between irrelevance and death, who cope with constant loss and try to fi nd meaning in a society blind to their value.
The elderly are often victims of scams, many of which go unreported, though the statistics concerning reported crimes are truly alarming. Stout also explores Native poverty and the mindset of those who barely eke out an existence.
One of the most inspiring novels I’ve read in some time.

Michael B. Davie, author, The Late Man