Book Review: Sizzling Sixteen

I returned a book to the library and didn't plan to peruse the stacks. Books are piled up at home, some on loan from friends, and I need to catch up on them. However, can't help myself. I had to wander into the new release area, just to check out the choices. Well, who can resist a new Stephanie Plum adventure? Not me.

Janet Evanovich's Sizzling Sixteen sticks to the formula she created back at One for the Money. It's a breezy, no brainer read that amuses and entertains. Stephanie Plum's wisecracking lines and ability to get in and out of trouble as a bounty hunter keeps the pages turning. This is fun fluff, cotton candy for the eyes, and perfect for a Sunday afternoon on the patio.

Stephanie doesn't like guns (she's a bounty hunter!), eats a ton of fast food, partners with her cousin, Vinnie (he's a total sleaze), and works with Lula (a former prostitute). Plum's on again, off again boyfriend, Joe Morelli is a cop, and she's still tempted by Ranger, the mysterious/hot/sorta dangerous security specialist.

In Sizzling Sixteen, Vinnie's been kidnapped due to his gambling problem. Money's on the line, bad characters abound, not to mention a huge gator, and Stephanie keeps wrecking cars. Grandma Mazur's broken her foot and keeps us laughing with her perpetual visits to funeral homes. (Trust me, Grandma is a worthy recurring character - the comic foil)

There's nothing new in this book, no deep character studies, no poetic interludes. Evanovich churns out a reliable tale with a feisty heroine. Made for a sizzling Sunday read, indeed.