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Standoff

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Ambitious TV reporter Tiel McCoy is driving through New Mexico when she hears over the radio that Sabra Dendy, the 17 year-old daughter of Fort Worth multimillionaire Russell Dendy, has been kidnapped. Tiel calls her editor and learns that Sara was "kidnapped" by her boyfriend Ronnie and is pregnant. Tiel is at a gas station store when an armed couple robs the cashier and orders all the customers to the floor. The girl goes into labor and Tiel realizes that she has a huge story on her hands. A tense standoff begins as the FBI and Russell Dendy wait outside. Tiel learns that Sabra and Ronnie are more afraid of her father-who plans to put the baby up for adoption-than of the FBI and would rather die together than surrender and be kept apart. Now it is more than just a story to Tiel as she fights to prevent these two kids from becoming a tragedy.

261 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

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3,293 people want to read

About the author

Sandra Brown

332books18.6kfollowers
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Sandra Brown is the author of more than sixty New York Times bestsellers, including STING (2016), FRICTION (2015), MEAN STREAK (2014), DEADLINE(2013), & LOW PRESSURE (2012), LETHAL (2011).

Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into over thirty languages.

In 2009 Brown detoured from romantic suspense to write, Rainwater, a much acclaimed, powerfully moving historical fiction story about honor and sacrifice during the Great Depression.

Brown was given an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University. She was named Thriller Master for 2008, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer’s Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

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5 stars
2,522 (26%)
4 stars
3,343 (35%)
3 stars
2,758 (29%)
2 stars
644 (6%)
1 star
157 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 560 reviews
Profile Image for Sheyla ✎.
1,959 reviews605 followers
August 11, 2020


Standoff is a short story. It has six intense chapters. I couldn’t put it down!!

Tiel McCoy is a reporter. She is good at her job and she was on her way to a needed and well-deserved vacation when her boss tells her she might be close to the story of the year. A young man, Ronnie has abducted his girlfriend, Sabra. The girl’s father, Russel Dendy, who is a well-known millionaire, is furious. The cops are looking for them and Tiel is asked to interview Ronnie’s father who lives close to where Tiel is driving through.

Tiel stops by a convenience store to get something to eat, when a couple comes barging into the store and the young man has a gun, Tiel can’t believe her luck. Sabra and Ronnie is the couple everyone is looking for. More shocking for Tiel is to find out, Sabra is pregnant and ready for childbirth. Thankfully “Doc� is another one of the hostages and he seems to know what to do.

Can Tiel and Doc keep everyone safe before the FBI comes in and tragedy ensues?

I loved reading or listening to Sandra Brown’s books. They are all so good and the suspense is always great. With Standoff, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to learn more about Doc and the fate of Sabra and Ronnie.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

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Profile Image for Paul Weiss.
1,414 reviews455 followers
August 1, 2022
A first-rate one act, one scene hostage drama conflict!

TV personality Tiel McCoy is headed to New Mexico for some long overdue R&R. Cue in the outrageous entirely over-the-top coincidence that readers will completely forgive and overlook because without it, STANDOFF doesn’t exist as a bitchin� hostage drama! Russell Dendy, narcissistic, sociopathic and utterly self-serving Fort Worth tycoon, is ranting to all and sundry that his daughter, Sabra, has been kidnapped, seduced, and violated by white trash young man, Ron Davison. Meanwhile, back at the proverbial ranch, in a god-forsaken middle-of-nowhereville gas station convenience store where our heroine Tiel McCoy is gassing up the wheels and picking up a few snacks for the miles left on her road trip, the young man and his girlfriend, whom readers discover is pregnant and hanging on the edge of imminent labour, crash the party and hold everyone in the store hostage at the point of a gun. Sandra Brown’s lightspeed narrative will glue you to your seat and leave you utterly slack-jawed and gob-smacked.

New York Post’s back cover ridiculously clichéd blurb gushes: “Nearly impossible to put down � a gripping, effective page-turner� Guess what? I agree 100% and will happily tell you that STANDOFF joins the ranks of the very few books in my lifetime that I have polished off in a single sitting. We’re not talking any literary prizes here but, damn, it sure was fun!

Paul Weiss

Profile Image for Nark.
701 reviews1,636 followers
November 28, 2021
3 stars.

🥀 i’m pretty sure this paperback has been on my shelf for forever. no idea why i finally picked it up.
🥀 this was a very quick, fast paced read.
🥀 definitely quite a dramatic and suspenseful story, with a little sprinkle of romance on top.

“the skin-to-skin connection was electric. it created a tingle that made Tiel want to pull her hand back quickly. or to continue holding on to his forever.�

🥀 almost the whole story happens in less than a day and almost the entire book takes place in a convenience store.
🥀 cliffhangery chapter endings that make you want to keep reading.
🥀 plenty of chaotic standoffs in this. didn’t really know who was gonna shoot who tbh.
🥀 i liked the heroine, she’s not a typical damsel in distress.
🥀 the hero was definitely intriguing. who doesn’t like a hot, mysterious, scruffy cowboy.
🥀 they definitely had chemistry, but i was left wanting a little more romance in the end.

“what do you want me to do?�
“convince me i’m alive, doc.�


🥀 you can definitely tell this was written 20 years ago.
🥀 i enjoyed this overall, but i don’t think it’s gonna stick in my head for long.
Profile Image for Mo.
1,397 reviews2 followers
December 7, 2018
It was OK. Nothing too exciting. Boring at times.
Profile Image for Sandra.
736 reviews6 followers
September 13, 2016
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!
Profile Image for Alex is The Romance Fox.
1,461 reviews1,222 followers
October 30, 2016
STANDOFF by Sandra Brown was a bit disappointing.

The plot stretched my imagination....I couldn't really feel anything believable about it and seemed a bit too predictable.

The characters were like cardboard caricatures......I couldn't engage with any of them.....even the main characters.

The dialogue.......stilted.....and not real.

This was supposed to be a romantic suspense story...but where was the romance I ask???? I never felt any chemistry between Tiel McCoy and Dr. Bradley Stanwick.

I have read much better books by this author.
Profile Image for Joy (joyous reads).
1,564 reviews292 followers
September 27, 2015
I didn’t think it was possible, folks. I didn’t think I’ll ever find a book by Ms. Brown that I didn’t like. In her defence, the book was shorter than usual, so perhaps therein lies the crux of my problem with this book. I have even considered not reviewing this book at all, but I felt like writing one anyway because I want to show you that I can give bad reviews from authors that I greatly admire.

This story is once again set in Texas. This time, it features an ambitious reporter who found herself a hostage to a gun-toting teenager and his pregnant girlfriend. The kids aren’t in it to harm people, but circumstances have forced their hands. The girlfriend is the daughter of an asshat prominent business man who was against their relationship. He had made threats to separate them and give their baby up for adoption. It’s as star-crossed as it could get. But as short as this book was, Ms. Brown still somehow managed to squeeze in a sub-plot in there somewhere. They’ll find out that they’re not only facing a squadron of FBI agents and the wrath of Russell Dendy, they also have to contend with a couple of criminals who make their money through human trafficking.

The book happened in a matter of hours. It reads like a complete novel, but I’m sad to say it was severely lacking in substance. I feel like the book wasn’t long enough in order for the reader to form any connection with the characters. Ultimately, that’s why I ended up not really liking this book. It lacked that signature heat between characters as well. And the story didn’t really develop. I was told all the hows and the whys in a deliberate manner. Bottom line, Standoff was not all that memorable. In fact, I’ve already forgotten about it.
16 reviews
August 5, 2013
"The car was in cruise control, but her brain was in overdrive."

The most cliched book I have ever read! I do not recommend it. Ambitious TV reporter just so happens to be in the convenience store where a young runaway couple she is investigating come in to rob the place? Luckily, when the young pregnant teen goes into labor there is a handsome rugged doctor to deliver the baby. He also has a dark past, of course, to draw in the heroine.

Don't forget the Hispanic man also in the store who is one the Ten Most Wanted! Why not?

Sandra Brown says she wrote this for a book club! Book clubs generally like to have discussions about symbolism and characters from the books they read, and I don't see anything to talk about in Standoff. Brown even compliments herself on writing complicated characters- they aren't clear cut bad or good. The main protagonists in the book seem to be pretty basic- calm and clear-headed, helpful and compassionate. As for bad guys, what about the man who started this whole situation? The young teen's father drove the kids away, cared nothing for what his daughter wanted, threatened to kill his new-born granddaughter, AND- SPOILER ALERT- shoots the boyfriend!. He sounds like a pretty bad guy.

Brown says in the intro, "the action inside the convenience store covers approximately the amount of time it will take you to read it,". I think it is also the amount of time Brown put into writing it.
Profile Image for Lainy.
1,898 reviews71 followers
July 21, 2010
What a fantastic book. First time I have read any of hers and I couldn't put it down. Read it in one day. Very easy to follow, great story, total page turner. I recommend to anyone who likes James Patterson etc
Profile Image for Janet.
2,890 reviews24 followers
June 24, 2020
I wasn't sure about this book going in, but I was completely amazed at how the story came together. A reporter going on vacation, then ending up at a convenience store where a young couple holds everyone hostage. This will be quite the news story if Tiel McCoy can make it out alive.
Profile Image for Vintage.
2,675 reviews633 followers
October 5, 2023
No, it didn't take me two months to read, I just have blown the review off.

This seems like a transitional SB from eh romances but not quite on the edge with her later often icky suspense stories.

Main female character is a reporter who's held hostage by two teenagers that would rather die than be separated. Daddy Arrogant Bucks, the girl's father, will stop at NOTHING to keep them apart.

Side characters add some drama, but being held hostage in a small West Texas town's gas station sounds awful. How do I know? My Grandmother lived in a small West Texas town and the gas stations were awful without being held hostage.

It's probably a 3 star, but towards the end, the heroine is more interested in being a reporter than being a decent human being regarding one of the other characters. Pet peeve for me when characters, especially reporters, rationalize outing an innocent person because they must tell the truth.

Plus, oddly enough, once the standoff is resolved, the two teenagers

Nice little read or listen, but not a loss if you don't.

The movie Absence of Malice is a great example of reporters doubling down, and who can resist Paul Newman....ever. Plus it has a great sting moment at the end when he gets his revenge.

Profile Image for Raminta Budriūnė.
101 reviews22 followers
January 10, 2022
Tai mano pirmoji Sandros Brown knyga, tikrai nenuvylė, bet rekomenduočiau norintiems pakankamai elementarios, neištęstos, nenuobodžios ir lengvai skaitomos istorijos, tačiau ne tokios kuri išliktų atmintyje ilgesnį laiką.
Profile Image for Steve Altier.
Author12 books321 followers
October 8, 2015
A friend of mine gave me this book. I love Sandra Brown, the way she tells a story, along with her writing style, so I gladly excepted. This story is as gripping as they come... I was pulling for Ronnie and Sabra. At times it was nail-biting. I thought I had the ending figured out. With one minor twist I didn't see coming that I found shocking. Great characters, great story. I give this book 5 of 5 stars...
Profile Image for CD {Boulder Blvd}.
963 reviews94 followers
November 17, 2019
2.5 stars rounded down: This was a short book by Ms Brown that felt like a partial story. The standoff between the law and the runaway lovers was drawn out but the story felt rushed and incomplete at the end. The "romance" between Tiel and Doc was non existent and more like a life affirming one night stand.
1,128 reviews26 followers
August 9, 2018
I think this would make a great stage play. The major setting is all in the convenience store, so it’s an easily condensed space
The last bit of business in the motel room, TV station and resort could be handled quickly with set changes. Although I don’t think all of it needs much attention.
Profile Image for Louise.
1,548 reviews86 followers
April 6, 2009
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!



Profile Image for Jane Stewart.
2,462 reviews939 followers
November 22, 2012
Kept my interest. Enjoyable way to pass the time if you don’t expect too much. The negative: it ended too soon.

My main complaint is not knowing what happened to various characters at the end. But the rest is good. This author is a good writer and she does suspense well. Although there is a little bit of romance at the end, don’t read it for romance. Read it as a suspense story with interesting characters. It’s about 1/2 the length of a regular novel.

The narrator Enid Graham is a new favorite of mine. Her voice is pleasant, calming, comforting, and good.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook reading time: 6 hrs and 35 mins. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: 2. Setting: current day Texas. Book copyright: 2000. Genre: suspense with a little romance.
Profile Image for Nancy.
750 reviews
July 10, 2020
A little too cheesy towards the end.
Profile Image for Courtnie.
778 reviews65 followers
August 27, 2018
Ran across this at a used bookseller and it was a title I'd not heard which was surprising having read most of Sandra Brown's catalog that was published in the last couple decades. Turns out, she wrote this for a book club! It was a good find - a neat little set up of a gas station robbery (as the title suggests) to make a quick book with all the little Sandra Brown goodies inside, good dialogue, action driven, with a few twists. Nothing over the top but fun nonetheless.
2 reviews
April 13, 2015
A great read! I couldn't put it down and I was hooked from the start.
Profile Image for Bona Caballero.
1,513 reviews66 followers
April 1, 2022
Para acabar el siglo XX, en el año 2000, Sandra Brown hizo algo no habitual en ella: publicar dos libros. En su cita habitual de agosto apareció el de suspense largo, The Switch. Pero justo tres meses antes, en mayo, lanzó esta novela cortita, de doscientas y pico páginas. Una historia de rehenes que te tiene en vilo desde el primer momento. Los protagonistas son prototípicos de Brown: la periodista Tiel McCoy en un momento algo complicado y un «modelo Brown número 1, o sea, un vaquero». Un tipo que tiene su rancho, su sombrero Stetson y sus botas. Se echan el ojo el uno al otro nada más entrar en la gasolinera. Pero no se dicen nada, hasta que la toma de rehenes les obliga a estar juntos, a cooperar para que las cosas vayan lo mejor posible y la cosa no acabe a tiros.
La leí en inglés así que no sé cómo estará la traducción al español.
Profile Image for Kinsey.
48 reviews1 follower
October 29, 2021
3.80
This book covers a single event that involves all parties of interest and really throws you for a loop. What can go wrong, will go wrong. The story is quick and energetic but it doesn't all revolve around just action, you start to see characters and who they are. Being a shorter book this is a great story to pick up and enjoy if you want some action and some well thought out characters. The range is diverse and captivating to see how each reacts in stressful situations. It was a good, solid book. More thriller drama and less mystery.
Profile Image for Vineta Ivanovska.
60 reviews3 followers
November 17, 2022
Romāns ir vairāk vērsts uz sešām spriedzes stundām veikalā , kur arī norisinās nolaupīšana , zagšana , šaušana , bērna piedzimšana . Un kā tas tiek atrisināts, un kā tiek atlaisti brīvībā ķīlnieki .
Izcilā rakstniece Sandra Brauna ♥️
Un šim romānam dodu ⭐⭐⭐⭐� goodreads zvaigznes.
Profile Image for Marla'dan Alıntılar.
363 reviews49 followers
Read
December 13, 2018
Basımı olmayan kitabı Ukitap Alışverişimde ikinci el almıştım. Bir rehin alma olayının anlatıldığı kitapta hem macera hem aşk var. Klasik Sandra Brown tadında.
192 reviews
February 3, 2018
This novel was truly a page turner. It had all the elements that keep the reader on the edge of his/her seat! Sandra Brown built the tension in the story from the first page; she has a knack for drawing the reader into the story with her strong characters and complex situations.

The twists in the story toward the end of the drama keep the reader guessing. The close of the story may have been a little too tidy, but that is fine with romance junkies like me!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 560 reviews

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