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| Sizzling Sixteen |
Up ’till this latest entry in the series, I’ve been more than happy with the Stephanie Plum series. They’re hilarious, with wacky characters that I adore. But Janet Evanovich’s Sizzling Sixteen is a bit disappointing. Instead of featuring new oddball characters, there’s a bunch of cameos by old favorites. I enjoyed seeing Mooner again, but that was probably the high (no pun intended) point of the book.
For a couple of books, Evanovich has been relying on Lula’s character too much. Instead of popping in occasionally for a bit of comic relief, Lula is riding along every time Stephanie goes out to do something and then getting in the way. Lula used to make me laugh out loud, but now I’m just tired of her. I wonder if the characters (and the author) are in a bit of a rut.
The mystery doesn’t involve a murder or one of Stephanie’s bounties. This time, her boss has been kidnapped by a local scammer who turns out to be scamming someone much scarier. Stephanie runs all over Trenton freeing him, losing him, and tracking him down again while trying to pick up a few bounties to try and keep the bonds office solvent. Plots in the previous books have gotten ridiculous before, but the climax of this book just pure silliness for its own sake. As I read it, I wondered what the hell Evanovich had been thinking when she wrote it. I just kept thinking, “Really? Really? This is the best you can do?” I know she’s capable of better writing and much better plotting than she’s showed in this book.
I really hope the next book sees Stephanie Plum and gang back on track.