Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read for Free
OR
Kindle Price: $5.97

Save $9.00 (60%)

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Audiobook Price: $12.03

Save: $9.02 (75%)

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

Anita Paddock
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Closing Time: A True Story of Robbery and Double Murder Kindle Edition

by Anita Paddock (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,043 ratings
See all formats and editions
Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
iphone with kindle app
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.

Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.

View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.

Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.

Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Get the free Kindle app: Link to the kindle app page Link to the kindle app page
Enjoy a great reading experience when you borrow the Kindle edition of this book with your Kindle Unlimited membership. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
From the best-selling author of Blind Rage “Blood from two bullets fired at close range into the head of the man and two bullets into the head of the pretty girl with long, light-brown hair.” The Staton Slaughter is one of the saddest true-crime events of the 1980s, told by the best-selling author of Blind Rage. In the vein of In Cold Blood, Closing Time is the stunning story of good and evil colliding in the most tragic of ways, both for the victims and their loved ones left behind to re-live their horror. Kenneth Staton was the well-respected owner of a jewelry store in Van Buren, Arkansas. Although crippled with rheumatoid arthritis and unable to walk without crutches, he had built his business through excellent watch repair work, fine quality jewelry sold at fair prices, and a dedication to his customers that surpassed all other merchants. He was the quintessential gentleman in all aspects of his life, and a beloved father. Unknown to him, two men—a seasoned criminal with a propensity for violence and a younger man, handsome, but broke and with an obsessive thirst for alcohol—plotted to rob the jewelry store at closing time on September 10, 1980. The thugs had only met each other days before, and it was the younger one's first venture into armed robbery. When Staton and his daughter Suzanne didn't show up for supper, his other two daughters became alarmed and went to the store. There they found the bodies of their father and youngest sister lying in pools of blood, gagged, hogtied, and shot twice in the head. Close to $100,000 dollars in diamonds and other jewelry had been stolen. This senseless, bloody crime rocked the town of Van Buren and set its lawmen, sworn to find the killers, on a fiercely determined hunt that led from Rogers, Arkansas to Jacksonville, Florida, and all the way to Vancouver, Canada. Seventeen years later, was justice served? Praise for Closing Time “Anita Paddock is the newest and strongest voice in true crime writing. Closing Time makes you feel as if you are there, seeing what happened, and feeling the terror and sorrow of those felled by these brutal crimes.” – Marla Cantrell, Editor of Do South Magazine and an Arkansas Art Council Fellow “Anita Paddock delivers again. Closing Time reveals an unvarnished truth that will, at times, leave her readers breathless. Those familiar with her work will quickly conclude that Closing Time is a worthy successor to her previous best seller, Blind Rage. Get ready for some late nights because you won’t be able to put this one down.” – Greg Shepard, author of Earthstains, the story of Matt and George Kimes who came of age in the Roaring Twenties with a string of sensational bank robberies.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    172 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    June 12, 2017
  5. File size
    34856 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
Next page
Due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Anita Paddock is the newest and strongest voice in true crime writing. Closing Time makes you feel as if you are there, seeing what happened, and feeling the terror and sorrow of those felled by these brutal crimes."
- Marla Cantrell, Editor of Do South Magazine and an Arkansas Art Council Fellow

"Anita Paddock delivers again. Closing Time reveals an unvarnished truth that will, at times, leave her readers breathless. Those familiar with her work will quickly conclude that Closing Time is a worthy successor to her previous best seller, Blind Rage. Get ready for some late nights because you won't be able to put this one down."
- Greg Shepard, author of Earthstains, the story of Matt and George Kimes who came of age in the Roaring Twenties with a string of sensational bank robberies.

Anita has done it again. Somehow she is able to create tension and suspense even when the outcome is already known. She has a way of making each character as familiar as the guy next door, be they ordinary people or despicable creeps! Truman Capote, even though you can't roll over, maybe you should step aside because a new "true crime" star is here!
- John McFerran

Superb writing! I absolutely enjoyed reading it. The author truly made the people in the book come to life. Can't wait to read more books by Anita Paddock. I highly recommend this book!
- Lori M. Keefe

About the Author

Anita Paddocks books are about murders committed in and around her home town of Van Buren, Arkansas. In all those cases, she had some connection with the victims, and sometimes with those who were convicted for the crimes. Paddock tries to tell her stories as if she was sitting at a kitchen table with a friend.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B071LHZ8ND
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen-L Publishing (June 12, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 12, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 34856 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 172 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,043 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Anita Paddock

Anita Paddock

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

I've always loved True Crime novels, beginning with Truman Capote's classic "In Cold Blood." Now, at the mature age of 78, I have written three of my own. My 2015 Amazon Best Seller "Blind Rage," is about a horrific crime that took place in Van Buren, Arkansas, in 1981. I attended school with the children of the family involved and have known the morbid story, well,most of my life. A second true crime, which also takes place in Van Buren, Arkansas, "Closing Time," came out in 2017. My third one, "Cold Blooded" came out in the summer of 2019. It, too, takes place in Arkansas.

A former student of mine calls me the "Grandma Moses of True Crime," a title I wear proudly. Hope you like True Crime stories like I do.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
1,043 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

B. McKee
5.0 out of 5 stars A story of a double murder and the family's struggle to endure
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2017
Verified Purchase
I read this book with a heavy heart. I knew the Staton family and taught Janet in Sunday School. They were a close-knit family, loved and respected by all who knew them.

On September 10, 1980, Kenneth Staton and his youngest daughter, Suzanne, were in the process of closing up Staton's Jewelry for the night when two armed men entered to rob the store. Kenneth and Suzanne cooperated in every respect, with Kenneth handing over his wallet and wedding ring.

Suzanne had been moving merchandise from the display cases to the safe, so the safe was open. Kenneth had, for many years been confined to a wheelchair and mainly worked in the back room repairing watches and jewelry.

The men tied and gagged Kenneth and Suzanne in the back room, then shot each of them in the head. The killers fled with the loot.

Ms. Paddock writes so well and provides so many details that the story is not only complete but also a pleasure to read.

23
14 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
J. Roscovius
4.0 out of 5 stars Good true crime book
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2023
Verified Purchase
The book was written well and easy to follow. A bit melodramatic at times, but you can step inside the grief this family suffered.
Helpful
 Report
Amazon customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping Story
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2017
Verified Purchase
This true crime story of two brutal murders in a small Arkansas town is so well well written that I think you will be quickly drawn in and compelled to read more. The heart of the story for me was the respected and loving family members and how they were working together to achieve the American dream. The manner that the victims' mother and three daughters dealt with the aftermath of their tragic loss reveal a quiet steadfast display of bravery and courage. Somehow they managed to push past their grief and move forward to continue the family's dream. Their response is an inspirational story for anyone who has been a crime victim or has suffered the loss of a loved one. An interesting inclusion to solve the murderers' identities is provided by a female who encounters the perpetrators by chance and gives just the needed element of evidence to tie up the case. The reality is jarring that our of nowhere so many innocent people's lives can be disrupted in an instant The chance that anyone can become a crime victim is another good reason to read this interesting and well developed true crime book. I am grateful for another gripping story by Paddock following Blind Rage.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Shellybb Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable read
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2023
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed this book and the heart felt way it was wtitten.A great story of a family full of love and tragedy. If you enjoy true crime you will certainly want to read th his gem
Helpful
 Report
Judith A. Howard
5.0 out of 5 stars Sad book
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2024
Verified Purchase
I read her other book too. She's a fast read. True crime
Helpful
 Report
Kindle Customer. randall barfield
4.0 out of 5 stars It is a sad story of loss in a family and the necessary ...
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2017
Verified Purchase
This book is well-written and will keep your attention throughout. It is a sad story of loss in a family and the necessary adaptations. It is also a story of the empty, misguided lives of the small-minded criminals. For TC readers you can't go wrong.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Story
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2022
Verified Purchase
Felt the author did great work on this true story . Not repitious as some of these cases are written. You had to feel for the family that lost loved ones in senseless killings Thankfully justice was served.
Helpful
 Report
Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars A really good book!
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2018
Verified Purchase
"Closing Time" is a really good book worth reading! The crime took place in 1980, nearly forty years ago, but there are updates to the story and what happened to many of the people in the book. Some of these updates were quite surprising! The crime was a horrible, totally senseless act of pure evil that affected so many people.

The story is also about a family...a very resilient family that loved one another very, very much. It was that great love that kept them going during the worst of times.

The book was very easy to read with short chapters and no filler. I couldn't put it down and read 42% of it the first time I picked it up. I read until 2:00 in the morning and didn't want to stop reading even then. The only part of the book that I found confusing was during the time when arrests were being made and the criminals had aliases. Suddenly they weren't who you thought they were and sometimes various names were used when referring to them. The book also had pictures which is a always a nice plus in true crime books. I would definitely recommend this one to other true crime buffs!!
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report