Book Review - Sizzling Sixteen

Stephanie Plum Series, by Janet Evanovich
1. One for the Money      10/18/2007
2. Two for the Dough       11/19/2007
3. Three to get Ready      11/24/2007
4. Four to Score              11/25/2007
5. High Five                    11/26/2007
6. Hot Six                        12/6/2007
7. Seven Up                    3/10/2008
8. Hard Eight                   3/11/2008
9. To the Nines                3/16/2008
10. Visions of Sugar Plums    3/14/2008
11. Ten Big Ones             3/17/2008
12. Eleven on Top              5/2/2008
13. Twelve Sharp             5/12/2008
14. Lean Mean Thirteen   5/13/2008
15. Plum Lovin’               5/14/2008
16. Plum Lucky               5/15/2008
17. Fearles Fourteen       8/18/2008
18. Plum Spooky            TBR
19. Finger Lickin’ Fifteen  9/25/2009
20. Sizzling Sixteen            11/4/2011
21. Smokin' Seventeen    11/11/2011

From Goodreads:

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 Stephanie'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!

My Thoughts:
Turns out I don't have as many thoughts about this novel as I thought I did...Hmmm.

I have been thoroughly enjoying the adventures of Stephanie Plum ever since I was first introduced to One for the Money back in 2007.  And I thoroughly enjoyed this one as well, although in all honesty I think the charm is starting to wear a bit thin.  The characters are still great, Grandma Mazur is still a hoot and a half, and Stephanie's inability to keep a car in one piece for more than half a novel is still funny...But somehow it all felt a little muted in this book.

Don't get me wrong, it's a fun read, light and airy, which is exactly what it is supposed to be.  I liked it.  I just didn't LOVE it, like I did some of the earlier novels.  And somewhere in the back of my brain is the nagging desire for Stephanie to pick a boyfriend already!  At some point she's just going to have to make a choice between Ranger and Morelli, because the sexual tension just isn't as tense anymore.

Still I give it a solid 3 stars for the fun factor.  And I'm still VERY excited for the movie version of One for the Money, coming in January 2012.