Book Review-Newer Books 46th

Review—Sizzling Sixteen

Janet Evanovich wrote the novel Sizzling Sixteen. St. Martin’s Press published the book in June 2010; the novel has 320 pages.

            Trenton, New Jersey, a hot bed of crime? Who would have thought it? Stephanie Plum is back to work chasing down bail jumpers. She is a local bounty hunter, and has a stack of people to round up and take back in to reset court appointments. This is how she tries to gain the cooperation of those who have skipped on their bail. Through all of this her boss and cousin, Vinnie, has disappeared. Connie runs the office and Lula does the filing since she gave up her previous career of being a HO. A ransom demand soon arrives, and no local police for these girls, especially since Stephanie’s on-again/off-again relationship with detective Joe Morelli is currently off. Brainstorming for these women is like watching a train wreck in slow motion; yet, they devise a plan and try various avenues to free Vinnie. Sometimes Lula’s past and Stephanie’s dumb luck pave the way to bits of success, but will Vinnie ever be rescued?

            Another piece of the puzzle is Stephanie’s friend and mentor, Ranger. He runs his own security agency and someone is messing with his clients. Stephanie sometimes works for him and does so again. He is just another bone of contention in her relationship with Joe as Ranger seriously flirts but will probably never commit. He does seem to have a never-ending supply of transportation, a lucky benefit for Ms. Plum, as she seems to have an aversion to keeping vehicles drivable. Every now and then, her grandmother comes along for the ride, adding to the confusion and excitement. Stephanie also has to deal with her nemesis in relationships and the bounty hunter business while trying to save Vinnie, in addition to helping Ranger solve his mystery.

            Janet Evanovich, has written this series of Stephanie Plum novels and each book is laugh out loud funny in the characters and situations in which they get involved. No need to start at the beginning, but after reading one, most readers will go back for more. There is attitude, action and romance in the mix of the hunting.