Standoff

✍ Scribed by Brown, Sandra

• Book ID: 108913387
• Publisher: Hachette UK
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 123 KB
• Category: Fiction
• ISBN: 0446527017

✦ Synopsis

Amazon.com Review

Some reporters have all the luck--especially plucky, ambitious, determined Texas TV news reporter Tiel McCoy, who walks into a convenience store on her long-postponed vacation and finds herself smack in the middle of the biggest story of her life. A couple of scared kids--an all-American boy and his very pregnant girlfriend, on the lam from her powerful, wealthy father who's determined to keep them apart--hold Tiel and a handful of other customers hostage. While Ronnie's brandishing the gun, Sabra goes into labor, and a mysterious, handsome stranger known as "Doc" takes over what soon turns into a life-threatening delivery. Only Tiel knows who Doc is: a brilliant, innovative physician who disappeared after a scandal involving the death of his wife. And only Tiel knows the identity of the gun-wielding boy and his girl, who are at the center of a manhunt the size of Texas. But there are some secrets she doesn't know, including the murderous reputation of two men trapped in the store with the rest of the hostages. As the drama unfolds, it becomes apparent that the kids would rather die than surrender, and the police, the FBI, and Sabra's father will precipitate a volatile end to the standoff.

Brown is a skillful writer, able to sustain suspense while fleshing out her characters. She saves the obligatory sex scene for the very end, but makes it worth waiting for. Tiel McCoy is an engaging heroine, and Brown fans will look forward to her return in another adventure after she wins the coveted promotion this dramatic exclusive will no doubt earn her.

From Publishers Weekly

Workaholic Dallas TV reporter Tiel McCoy thought she would take a well-earned vacation, but while driving to a secluded condo in New Mexico, she hears a radio report that changes her plans. Teenager Sabra Dendy, only daughter of Fort Worth multimillionaire Russ Dendy, has been kidnapped. Soon Tiel learns that Sabra, who's pregnant, has run away with her boyfriend, Ronnie Davison. Smelling a story, Tiel heads for the remote town of Hera to interview Ronnie's father, thinking the couple might go there for help. But when she stops at a convenience store for directions, Tiel encounters Ronnie and Sabra bungling a hold-up attempt. As Sabra goes into labor, Ronnie takes everyone in the store hostage, and Tiel and a handsome cowboy who seems to know a lot about medicine deliver Sabra's daughter. Tiel learns that the desperate young couple are fleeing to Mexico to escape Sabra's dictatorial father, who has vowed to separate them and put their baby up for adoption. He has even threatened to kill the child, and Sabra and Ronnie have vowed to commit suicide if they are thwarted. Bestselling author Brown (The Alibi) sets up believable conflicts (Ronnie once killed a puppy, rather than return it to an abusive owner). If the dialogue and sex scenes occasionally seem stilted, this popular author's tale still hits hard and keeps moving briskly to its satisfying conclusion.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.