Sizzling Sixteen

First edition
Author	Janet Evanovich
Language	English
Series	Stephanie Plum
Genre	Crime novel
Publisher	St. Martin's Press
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Preceded by	Finger Lickin' Fifteen
Followed by	Smokin' Seventeen

Sizzling Sixteen is a 2010 novel by Janet Evanovich, the sixteenth in the Stephanie Plum series.

Stephanie's boss, her cousin Vinnie, has been abducted by his bookie, who demands that Vinnie pay back his gambling losses (more than a million dollars) in five days, or he's dead. Stephanie, Connie Rosoli and Lula must combine forces to rescue Vinnie and raise the money, especially after the bookie reveals that he and Vinnie are both in debt to someone much more powerful and much scarier.

Vinnie of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds and Stephanie Plum’s dubious and sex pervert cousin, is kidnapped due to an outstanding debt of $786,000 with a questionable bookie, that has usury interest attached. There is nobody else that will pay to get Vinnie back, leaving it up to Stephanie and her girls, Lula and Connie who need to collect FTA’s (failure to appears), so they can pay off Vinnie’s debt and all keep their jobs. To top it all off they only have 5 days to raise the money and pay back Vinnie’s debt. To do this Stephanie, Lula and Connie all need to dive headfirst into the criminal underbelly of Trenton, New Jersey and find and apprehend Vinnie's outstanding FTA’s that include a man wanted for polygamy, a turnpike toilet paper bandit, and a drug dealer with a pet alligator named Mr. Jingles.

Lula and Connie want Stephanie to ask for help from her on and off again boyfriend Jo Morelli, Trenton’s hottest detective. However, Stephanie does not want to seek help from Morelli because the bookie holding Vinnie is not exactly kosher and she and Morelli are currently in an 'off' stage of their relationship. This only leaves security expert Ranger, Stephanie’s long term mentor and Morelli’s competition, to go to for help. To start with Stephanie needs to find and rescue Vinnie, as well as all her FTA’s. However, Morelli finds Stephanie first, at their favourite bakery and offers to help and provides Stephanie with information and further help, if Stephanie asks for it. Later, Ranger also offers help in tracking persons of interest, with his gadgets. Stephanie continues to hold Ranger at arms length to maintain her possible reconciliation with Morelli, not yet wanting to give up what her and Morelli have/could have together.

Asking for help from Morelli and Ranger is a question and circumstance that keeps coming up for Stephanie throughout this adventure. Stephanie however resists the urge to seek help from both her favourite men in her life and goes it alone with her gal-pals Lula and Connie. In the end Stephanie needs to be rescued by Ranger, Morelli and Mooner’s merry hobbits, after being kidnapped by Vinnie’s former creditors.

I’ll let you find out who Stephanie chooses at the end, for yourself. I'm not spoiling it for you!

Stephanie Plum

• Stephanie Plum

Lula

Connie Rosolli

Vinnie Plum

Grandma Mazur

Rex

Joseph Morelli

Ranger

Joyce Barnhardt

Moon-Man

• .......

• Profile on author's website