Sandra Brown is one of those authors whose books I generally buy new, sometimes even in hardback because I can't wait for the cheaper paperback to come out. My introduction to her was through her romance novels, starting with HIDDEN FIRES, but THE WITNESS, a mystery/suspense, put her on my list of favorite authors (and it's still my favorite of her books). STANDOFF is more the length of the quick romance books at 261 pages, and not as deep or involved as some of her other suspense books. The story moves along pretty much in real time, though it takes less time to read it than the time that passes for the characters. Tiel is a successful and popular reporter in a local market, with dreams of hitting the big time. She's on her way to a vacation destination when she hears a radio report of the kidnapping of a millionaire's daughter, and she immediately calls her boss, wanting to be in on the reporting. He's already got it covered for the most part, but suggests she interview the kidnapper's father, a drive that takes her several hours out of her way and into the middle of nowhere. She stops at a convenience store to call him for directions (this was before everybody had cell phones and GPS), and while there, who walks in but the kidnapper and his “victim”, who is actually his very pregnant girlfriend. Tiel suddenly finds herself in the middle of a hold up and taken hostage by the two young lovers, along with the store cashier, an elderly couple on their honeymoon, two Mexican men who speak no English, and Doc. Doc is a mystery himself. He never provides his name, just says everyone calls him Doc. He's a rancher, but when Sabra, the young girl, goes into labor, he leaps in to help her and it's obvious he has some medical knowledge. I thought maybe he was a veterinarian, or just had lots of experience from birthing baby cows. I was a little put off at first by Tiel's attitude toward the whole experience in the beginning, seeing it as an opportunity to further her career. She has a small audio recorder hidden in her pocket, and she surreptitiously sets up the elderly couple's video recorder so that it's taping unobtrusively from a shelf. Doc puzzles her at first, but then she finally recognizes him, as he'd been in the middle of a huge media frenzy before disappearing from the limelight. So she thinks she's going to be the reporter that announces to the world where he's been all this time. Fortunately, while helping deliver the baby and mediating between the kids and the feds by phone, her priorities slowly shift. And Doc. He stayed a mystery to the very end. In fact, he's so much of a mystery that in my head I couldn't picture him, he's just a featureless face. While the story isn't told exclusively from Tiel's point of view, the events inside the store are, with occasional cuts to the parking lot and the point of view of the FBI agent in charge. So we don't get to know Doc, or get any insight into his personality, or really learn much about him at all beyond why he was such a hot story in the past. A character study this is not. But a fast paced, attention keeping and quite enjoyable read – it is.
TV reporter Tiel McCoy is driving to New Mexico for a well-earned vacation when she hears the news on the radio: The teenage daughter of Fort Worth tycoon Russell Dendy has been a kidnapped. Immediately, she abandons her holiday plans to chase down what could be the scoop of a lifetime. But in a town called Rojo Flats an innocuous stop at a convenience store thrusts her directly into the dramatic story--and a dangerous drama. For inside the shop two desperate young lovers are holding a half dozen frightened hostages ... and a powder keg of a standoff is about to test Tiel's courage, journalistic objectivity, and everything she has ever believed.Ronnie and Sabra take everyone in the store hostage. Sabra has her baby, Tiel helps Doc with the delivery. Doc turns out to be a famous oncologist in seclusion after being accused of euthanasia death of his wife. Two Mexican nationals are also in the store, one an undercover cop the second a big time human smuggler. Ronnie was accused of kidnapping Sabra, but it wasn't true, they ran off together, away from her father.It all ends ok. Ronnie, Sabra and the baby survive, the Mexican hood is arrested and Tiel and Doc get together.
What do You think about Standoff (2001)?
TV reporter Tiel McCoy is driving to a mountain resort in New Mexico for a long overdue vacation. Along the way she hears a news bulletin on her car radio--tycoon Russell Dendy's teenage daughter, Sabra, has been kidnapped. Tiel stops at a convenience store to call her boss, Gully, for some info, and finds herself in the middle of it all! In walks "kidnapped" (and pregnant) Sabra and her boyfriend Ronnie, who stop in the convenience store Tiel is at and hold the place up. It seems Sabra wasn't kidnapped, she and Ronnie are lovers on the run, running from Sabra's domineering father who is threatening to break the couple up and take Sabra's baby away. Tiel is worried/scared, but she's also excited since the story she was eager to report fell right in her lap! What follows is a tense and exciting read.I really enjoyed this book. It would've made a good movie. The secondary characters were interesting (the other people who were held hostage), and the hero, "Doc", who had some secrets of his own. The book had a very slight romance--there wasn't much time for one since most of the story happened in one day. This was an exciting and fast-paced read!
—Sandra
Well, another of those books scored from someone emptying their shelves. I should know better. I thought this was going to be a thriller - but no - it was a romance novel with the storyline approximating a thriller.[return]It wasn't terrible. I made it all the way through without hurling it against the wall. What was wrong about it was the characters. The heroine was not believable (ask me for examples). The plot was full of coincidence to throw the girl and the tall dark handsome cowboy with a mysterious past (avoiding spoilers) together.[return]I'm trying to write a sex scene at the moment - I hope I do a more realistic job than the fluffy piece of erotica at the end of this. (I probably won't).[return]For what it's worth - I have nothing against romance novels - and if I had read it for this purpose then maybe it would pass muster.
—Robert
This is the first Sandra Brown novel I've read and I wasn't disappointed. I'll definitely be searching for more of her novels.From back cover:"T.V. reporter Tiel McCoy is driving to New Mexico for a well earned vacation when she hears the news on the radio: The teenage daughter of Fort Worth tycoon Russell Dendy has been kidnapped. Immediately, she abandons her holiday plans to chase down what could be the scoop of a lifetime. But in a town called Rojo Flats an innocuous stop at a convenience store thrusts her directly into the dramatic story-and a dangerous drama. For inside the shop two desperate young lovers are holding a half dozen frightened hostages...and a powder keg of a standoff is about to test Tiel's courage, journalistic objectivity, and everything she has ever believed."I must say, this was a page-turner!
—Louise
