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Standoff At Sundown: A Western Action and Adventure Series (Jake McCall Book 1)
Saddle up for an action-packed Western filled with grit, loyalty, and adventure.
After the devastating loss of his beloved wife, Jake McCall wants nothing more than a quiet life, working his land and providing for his daughter. But his hope for peace is shattered when a ruthless gang descends on Red Rock, turning the once-peaceful town into a place of fear and chaos.
With his family and community in danger, McCall faces an impossible keep his head down and pray the threat passes or open up some old wounds to risk everything to protect what he holds dear.
As the battle draws near, blood will spill, and lives will be lost. The decisions McCall makes will shape not just his own future, but the very fate of Red Rock.
In a world where loyalty is fragile and love hangs by a thread, McCall must confront who he really is—before time runs out.
After the devastating loss of his beloved wife, Jake McCall wants nothing more than a quiet life, working his land and providing for his daughter. But his hope for peace is shattered when a ruthless gang descends on Red Rock, turning the once-peaceful town into a place of fear and chaos.
With his family and community in danger, McCall faces an impossible keep his head down and pray the threat passes or open up some old wounds to risk everything to protect what he holds dear.
As the battle draws near, blood will spill, and lives will be lost. The decisions McCall makes will shape not just his own future, but the very fate of Red Rock.
In a world where loyalty is fragile and love hangs by a thread, McCall must confront who he really is—before time runs out.
- GenresWesterns
202 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 4, 2025
7 people are currently reading
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 24, 2025
First, Jim Woods is a fellow writer on Medium. I read his first book, Bite the Bullet, a few years ago, and I found it fun and believable.
So, when he said he'd written a Western, I was curious and, admittedly, more than a little excited to read it, especially since I had been working on a Western too.
People often complain about not getting support for their stories from friends and family, but then are not “walking the walk” their talking.
Okay, let me get down off my soapbox and get on with the review.
I've loved Westerns since I was a kid because my grampie always had a Zane Grey or Louis L'Amour novel in his hand. After he'd read it, I could borrow it, as long as I didn't "dog-ear" the paperback. He said that was disrespectful.
So, I bought Standoff at Sundown on Amazon.
I would have given Jim's book five stars except that many find five-star reviews, even for established writers, unbelievable. However, this book is well-written, enjoyable, and believable.
This book felt like stepping right into an old-school Western—gritty, emotional, and full of action. Jake McCall, a widowed rancher, just wants a quiet life working his homestead and raising his daughter, but that peace doesn’t last.
When a gang shows up in Red Rock and turns the town upside down, threatens and beats his neighbor, he’s forced to make some hard choices.
I really liked how the story balances family, loyalty, and survival. McCall has to decide whether to stay out of the fight or risk everything to protect the people he loves.
His courage and conviction drive him to action. After asking several of his neighbors and townspeople to help him defeat these roughriders, he could only enlist two to help.
So, he, a greenhorn kid, and an elder shopkeeper are the only ones man enough to stand up to the gang of outlaws.
The tension builds until the final showdown, and the fate of Red Rock is in his hands.
If you enjoy a good Western, you'll want to read this one, and I hope the other two are just as fun and enjoyable to read.
So, when he said he'd written a Western, I was curious and, admittedly, more than a little excited to read it, especially since I had been working on a Western too.
People often complain about not getting support for their stories from friends and family, but then are not “walking the walk” their talking.
Okay, let me get down off my soapbox and get on with the review.
I've loved Westerns since I was a kid because my grampie always had a Zane Grey or Louis L'Amour novel in his hand. After he'd read it, I could borrow it, as long as I didn't "dog-ear" the paperback. He said that was disrespectful.
So, I bought Standoff at Sundown on Amazon.
I would have given Jim's book five stars except that many find five-star reviews, even for established writers, unbelievable. However, this book is well-written, enjoyable, and believable.
This book felt like stepping right into an old-school Western—gritty, emotional, and full of action. Jake McCall, a widowed rancher, just wants a quiet life working his homestead and raising his daughter, but that peace doesn’t last.
When a gang shows up in Red Rock and turns the town upside down, threatens and beats his neighbor, he’s forced to make some hard choices.
I really liked how the story balances family, loyalty, and survival. McCall has to decide whether to stay out of the fight or risk everything to protect the people he loves.
His courage and conviction drive him to action. After asking several of his neighbors and townspeople to help him defeat these roughriders, he could only enlist two to help.
So, he, a greenhorn kid, and an elder shopkeeper are the only ones man enough to stand up to the gang of outlaws.
The tension builds until the final showdown, and the fate of Red Rock is in his hands.
If you enjoy a good Western, you'll want to read this one, and I hope the other two are just as fun and enjoyable to read.
May 25, 2025
TLDR: This is a good, solid western.
Good dialogue and themes. It asks the classic western question: Can someone confront evil without succumbing to it?
Some of the plot elements remain unresolved. There's a criminal conspiracy and a (potential) romance subplot that treads quite lightly compared to something like Game of Thrones. Seems like these are setups for sequels, though the main plot does stand on its own.
I liked the ending, in that it ties into the theme of whether a person can turn into someone unrecognizable while fighting evil, and it also paints a vivid picture that one can imagine fitting into the end of a western film or television show.
Highly recommended if you like the western genre or if you're looking for a short read.
Good dialogue and themes. It asks the classic western question: Can someone confront evil without succumbing to it?
Some of the plot elements remain unresolved. There's a criminal conspiracy and a (potential) romance subplot that treads quite lightly compared to something like Game of Thrones. Seems like these are setups for sequels, though the main plot does stand on its own.
I liked the ending, in that it ties into the theme of whether a person can turn into someone unrecognizable while fighting evil, and it also paints a vivid picture that one can imagine fitting into the end of a western film or television show.
Highly recommended if you like the western genre or if you're looking for a short read.
March 5, 2025
I just finished this "new to me" author's book, It's a really great start to a series about Jake McCall, a Union war veteran and recent widower who only wants a quiet life in town with his young daughter Emma. That is not to be, as a group of ill intended gunslingers rides into his town, wounding his neighbor and then the Sheriff; Jake is deputized on the spot and reluctantly gets his on the job training. He finds little help in town, and faces many shifts in conscience, as he slowly meets his destiny. The men he faces and the motivation behind them only raises more questions. This has a cliffhanger ending and appears to be part of a series. Enjoy
August 29, 2025
very readable
September 4, 2025
Good story
I enjoyed the first half of the story. However, to me, the last half seemed very elementary. I was surprised and disappointed, too, that it was a cliffhanger.
I enjoyed the first half of the story. However, to me, the last half seemed very elementary. I was surprised and disappointed, too, that it was a cliffhanger.
December 28, 2025
Reading Standoff at Sundown was like watching an old western on tv and it brought me back to my childhood. The storyline is solid and the ending leaves you to pick up the next in the trilogy, however it could be read as a stand alone. This was my first adventure in the western genre and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Already cracking open the second book Red Rock Justice!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews