SIZZLING SIXTEEN

TITLE: SIZZLING SIXTEEN
AUTHOR: JANET EVANOVICH
Pages: 309
Date: 15/09/2010
Grade: 3.5
Details: no. 16 Stephanie Plum
Library

There are times when I wonder why I'm still reading this series. The stories are very predictable and I can't help feeling that Evanovich is writing these books on automatic pilot, a bit like paint by numbers really.
As far as I can tell, Stephanie will never learn how to be an even moderately successful bounty hunter, she'll never really choose between Ranger and Morelli, and will never stop destroying cars. And those are just a few examples.
In this story Stephanie, Lula and Connie are trying to rescue Vinnie, the sleazy owner of the Bail Bond agency, who is being held by a local mobster whom he owes tons of money. They're also trying to raise the money owed in order to keep Vinnie and their jobs safe. 
Of course none of this goes smoothly and a lot of madness, mayhem and destruction follow the girls wherever they turn.
On the side lines, trying to keep Stephanie from killing herself, are, as always, Morelli and Ranger, the two hot men Stephanie just can't make herself choose between.
All of this is business as usual. 
However, what usually makes this series enjoyable, and what has kept me reading this series for so long are the laugh out loud moments. This book had less of those though than previous books. In fact, I didn't find myself laughing until I came to the end of the book; the part of the story where the Hobbits come to the rescue. And without the laughs, these stories really don't amount to a whole lot.
Having said that, I'll probably end up reading number seventeen as well, because I can't help hoping that Evanovich will hit her stride again and make me laugh until I have tears running down my face. I have to say though that with every book I read in this series I'm getting more and more doubtful about the likelyhood of that ever happening again.