Review: Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

Sizzling SixteenAuthor: Janet EvanovichPublication: St. Martin's Press; 1 edition (June 22, 2010)
Description: 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 Ranger’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: This was a typical wacky story from Evanovich. Stephanie, Lula and Connie have to raise a bunch of money to get Vinnie back from the guys he owes that bunch of money too and who have kidnapped him or he will be killed. Now, none of them really want Vinnie back since he is a sleazy, low-life but without him they have no jobs. And besides, Vinnie is some sort of relative of Stephanie's and Grandma Mazur would be upset if something happened to him.
The gang has to track down Vinnie and come up with more than a million dollars. Meanwhile, Stephanie is trying to track down other bond jumpers so that she can make her rent. Some of the bond jumpers include a guy who was arrested for stealing toilet paper from rest stops on the New Jersey turnpike, a guy who keeps a 6-foot alligator as a pet and guard alligator, and a guy who is 6' 6" who works at the stockyard (leading to letting a herd of cattle loose on the streets of Trenton). Stephanie gets assists from Ranger and Morelli and can't decide which guy she wants.
As usual, destruction and mayhem follow Stephanie and Lula no matter where they go. I think she only wrecks one of the black cars that Ranger lends her in this one but there are also fires, stink bomb releases, and shootings. 
This is an entertaining series but be sure to check you sense of reality at the door and have fun going along for the ride.
Favorite Quotes:
This one is from Lula who is clearly my kind of girl.

"I'm on a new diet where I only have one of anything. Like I can have one pea. And I can have one piece of asparagus. And I can have one loaf of bread."

Challenges: RYOB Reading Challenge