''Killing Time in St. Cloud'' is a

crime novel Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

Judith Guest Judith Guest (born March 29, 1936) is an American novelist and screenwriter. She was born in Detroit, Michigan and is the great-niece of Poet Laureate Edgar Guest (1881–1959).

and Rebecca Hill published in 1988.

Synopsis

After returning to St. Cloud a man becomes involved in a complicated web of lies, feuds, and secrets that leads to murder.

Development

Judith Guest Judith Guest (born March 29, 1936) is an American novelist and screenwriter. She was born in Detroit, Michigan and is the great-niece of Poet Laureate Edgar Guest (1881–1959).

and Rebecca Hill began writing ''Killing Time in St. Cloud'' around 1985, choosing to pick a genre in which neither had previously written. They chose to write together, partially to deal with the isolation felt while writing by oneself, but also because they held "similar values and orientation towards experience". Each author wrote alternating chapters and they both chose to include several narrators in the novel. It took them 2 and a half years to complete the novel and both stated that they found the process fun, but found setting up the novel challenging.

Release

''Killing Time in St. Cloud'' was released in hardback on October 1, 1988 in the United States, through

Delacorte Press Dell Publishing Company, Inc. is an American publisher of books, magazines and comic books, that was founded in 1921 by George T. Delacorte Jr. with $10,000 (approx. $145,000 in 2021), two employees and one magazine title, ''I Confess'', and ...

, followed by a mass market paperback the following year from the same publisher. A paperback edition was released in the United Kingdom by Penguin in 1990.

Reception

Critical reception for ''Killing Time in St. Cloud'' was mixed. Joyce Slater of ''

The Atlanta Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

'' criticized the novel, stating that "Ms. Guest and Ms. Hill apparently intended to combine elements of the traditional novel and the formula mystery, then ended up with something that is neither. "''Killing Time in St. Cloud''" lacks the richness of characterization necessary for the second." A reviewer for the '' Daily Press'' was similarly critical, criticizing the "aimless, trite dialogue and stock, one-dimensional characters".

Michael Dorris Michael Anthony Dorris (January 30, 1945 – April 10, 1997) was an American novelist and Academia, scholar who was the first Chair of the Native American Studies program at Dartmouth College. His works include the novel ''A Yellow Raft in Blue ...

of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' was more favorable, describing it as a "first-rate, beautifully written novel." ''

The Star Press ''The Star Press'' is a morning edition newspaper for Muncie, Indiana Muncie ( ) is an incorporated city and the county seat, seat of Delaware County, Indiana, Delaware County, Indiana. Previously known as Buckongahelas Town, named after the l ...

'''s Bill Spurgeon was also positive, praising the novel for its characters and plotting.

Adaptation plans

Shortly after the release of the novel in 1988 Guest and Hill announced that film rights to the novel were purchased by David Geffen and Co. They voiced their support for the movie to be filmed in St. Cloud and also stated that they wished to write the screenplay themselves.

References

External links

{{portal, Novels
''Killing Time in St. Cloud''
on Judith Guest's website. 1988 American novels American crime novels