Friday, October 22, 2010

92. Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

I continue to read the Stephanie Plum books each year because I so used to love the series. I have been disppointed by several of the past books, and from reading around the blogosphere, it seems to me that quite a few bloggers agree with me. I have since stopped buying the books and now only get them from my library. Sizzling Sixteen didn't do much sizzling for me, and I can only give it a B-.

From Amazon:

Trenton, New Jersey, bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has inherited a “lucky” bottle from her Uncle Pip. Problem is, Uncle Pip didn’t specify if the bottle brought good luck or bad luck. . . .
BAD LUCK:
Vinnie, of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, has run up a gambling debt of $786,000 with mobster Bobby Sunflower and is being held until the cash can be produced. Nobody else will pay to get Vinnie back, leaving it up to Stephanie, office manager Connie, and file clerk Lula to raise the money if they want to save their jobs.
GOOD LUCK:
Being in the business of tracking down people, Stephanie, Lula, and Connie have an advantage in finding Vinnie. If they can rescue him, it will buy them some time to raise the cash.
BAD LUCK:
Finding a safe place to hide Vinnie turns out to be harder than raising $786,000. Vinnie’s messing up Mooner’s vibe, running up pay-per-view porn charges in Ranger’s apartment, and making Stephanie question genetics.
GOOD LUCK:
Between a bonds office yard sale that has the entire Burg turning out, Mooner’s Hobbit-Con charity event, and Uncle Pip’s lucky bottle, they just might raise enough money to save the business, and Vinnie, from ruin.
BAD LUCK:
Saving Vincent Plum Bail Bonds means Stephanie can keep being a bounty hunter. In Trenton, this involves hunting down a man wanted for polygamy, a turnpike toilet paper bandit, and a drug dealer with a pet alligator named Mr. Jingles.
GOOD LUCK:
The job of bounty hunter comes with perks in the guise of Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, and the dark and dangerous security expert, Ranger. With any luck at all, Uncle Pip’s lucky bottle will have Stephanie getting lucky---the only question is . . . with whom?
Sizzling Sixteen . . . so hot, the pages might spontaneously combust!


All I really have to say is eh. Not much bounty hunting going on, not much resolution with the whole Joe and Ranger diabcle, and not much Grandma Mazur, my favorite Plum. While I don't regret reading the book, I was disappointed but so glad I didn't break down and buy it after waiting 3 plus months from the library to get it.

2 comments:

Nise' said...

I agree. I only borrow the books from the library and am to the point where I want Stephanie to choose Ranger or Joe and succeed at being a bounty hunter.

stacybuckeye said...

This newest one is the first I haven't read. I have been so disappointed in the past few that I promised myself I wouldn't waste any more time on the series. At least until she chooses between Ranger and Joe and I don't even care which one it is at this point!