Sizzling Sixteen - Janet Evanovich

Once again Stephanie's job is in danger. This time it isn't from not being very good at catching skips. This time it's because her boss Vinnie owes money to some bad people. He has been kidnapped and unless the money is delivered to them Vinnie is a dead man. It's up to Stephanie to find Vinnie and help him escape or raise the money which is increasing daily. Luckily she has the help of spandex wearing Lula and stink bomb expert Connie.

I almost didn't bother buying this book. The last one was so unmemorable that all I can remember is that Stephanie and Morelli are on a break after a fight about peanut butter. I do remember being irritated by many inconsistencies and boredom. Turns out being over half an hour early for a train results in some book buying.

I am glad I did. I don't know if maybe it was because the last book I read was so dull and depressing that I needed something light but I very much enjoyed this. It was almost as good as the earlier books in the series. That's not to say I felt that way straight away. For the first fifty pages I was sure it was going to be more of the same. Thankfully it picked up and I even found myself laughing aloud (embarrassingly most of those out loud laughs was on the bus). One of them involved my favourite character, Grandma Mazur, who stated at one point that she loved to see naked men.

Lulu has never been my favourite character. In fact she usually irritates me as she gets the same lines in every book. There was still much of that but she also had a few funny moments. One involved cows and the other an alligator (I'm saying no more than that). I also enjoyed Connie being part of the team for a change. She is usually stuck behind the desk so it was nice to see her join in and this also led to much hilarity.

I wasn't expecting the ending for a change. I quite liked it and it could be an interesting turn in the books. Of course that's if the next one decides not to ignore the events of this one (that's happened a few times). I cheated though and looked at the blurb for 17 and I am happy to say that it does continue with the events at the end of this one.

It was a very easy read. The print was large and spaced out. I've seen kids books with smaller print than that. I could have read it in an hour if work wasn't in the way. It also did have some of the repetitiveness that the last few books have had. The love triangle between Morelli, Stephanie and Ranger has been dull for at least 8 books. There was also not enough Grandma Mazur for my liking but then I think she should have her own series. Plus there was only one real scene with Stephanie's parents. I would have liked more.

If you are thinking of giving up on the series I recommend that you read this one before you decide. Sure it's not perfect and it will never beat the first 5 or 6 but it does pick up the series a little.