Sizzling Sixteen
By: Janet Evanovich
309 Pages
Summary:
Stephanie Plum, Lula, & Connie are out to rescue their wayward boss, Vinnie (also Stephanie's Cousin). Having gotten in way over his head in gambling & other assorted misdeeds he's been kidnapped by a mobster and held for a hefty ransom. Their options: pay up are rescue him back before he's dead.
I've been a fan (thank you, Sis :P) and have enjoyed this series for years. However, every book follows the same format and is dependable. This book is no exception. You have the skip that takes the whole book to finally get and all the hilarity involved in the apprehension attempts. In this case, the skip is Butch Goodey and accidentally setting free a herd of cows onto the city streets. Every book has the sexual tension between the two men in Stephanie's life, on and off again beau Morelli and rough around the edges Ranger. In a predictable set up here, she flirts with both, kisses both... and that's it. And you have Lula with her irrational desire to shoot at people. The best scene for that was someone eating her doughnut and she opens fire on the door. Of course, he returns fire and they run for their lives. In the earlier books of the series I was laughing- A LOT, and now my laughter isn't as often or as loud.
I've decided the reason I read the series still isn't for the main character, Stephanie. While she has her moments in every book, after awhile she isn't enough to keep you coming back for more. She's a bounty hunter only because her Cousin was willing to give her the job, not because she knows what she's doing. After awhile, her stumbling capture attempts aren't funny anymore. No, I love Lula and Grandma Mazur. Those two are my favorite characters and the ones who make me laugh. They have the great one-liners, the funny scenes. They keep me coming back for more. Lula has a great way of remembering people. Case in point, her memory of Stephanie's now deceased Uncle Pip who left her a lucky bottle. "I remember Uncle Pip...he was the one wandered out of the senior complex a couple weeks ago during that thunderstorm, pissed on a downed electric wire, and electrocuted himself." And, not to be forgotten, there is Grandma Mazur with her irrational fondness of funeral wakes. She likes the open casket wakes and becomes a bit unruly when the casket is closed. Case in point: Karen Shishler's viewing. The family requested it be closed casket, but Grandma had issues with it. "How do I know she's in there if you won't open the lid." When this gets her nowhere, she has a completely logical thought, "Just a peek. I won't tell no one."
The romantic triangle between Stephanie, Joe Morelli, and Ranger is no longer interesting to me. It never seems to progress beyond a kiss and heavy flirting. It lost it's fizzle and my interest a long time ago. I no longer care if she picks either of them.
The book had it's great moments, but not nearly as many as there used to be. Sadly, the series has become old and dependable. It just seems that Janet Evanovich has an outline used for each book and she fills in the blanks with the names she uses with each book. If you're thinking of buying the book, wait until it lands in the bargain book section and buy it for around $5-$10.00 instead of the $28.00 now.
Rating: Borrow From The Library
