The Colorado Kid (Hard Case Crime #13)
by Stephen King
Our Price: $31.56
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.59 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Stephen KingEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-10-04
ISBN: 0843955848
Number of pages: 184
Publisher: Dorchester Publishing Co.
Book Reviews of The Colorado Kid (Hard Case Crime #13)
Book Review: A Good Character Story
Summary: 5 Stars
This novel by Stephen King came out in October of 2005. It's the first new novel by King after he completed his "The Dark Tower" series, which he claimed would be his last writing. It's wasn't. Not by a long shot. In fact, he's got a new novel, "Cell", coming out next year. I don't know who said it, but some guy said that Stephen King can't stop writing. It's like breathing to him. That guy's right.
So now we've got this novel, "The Colorado Kid". It's published under the Hard Case Crime label. Hard Case Crime is dedicated to publishing both old, lost pulp stories and new stories by modern authors. The books are selected and edited by Charles Ardai. "The Colorado Kid" is Stephen King's contribution.
It's a rather short novel - only 164 pages of actual story. The story is unique in that it's told in the format of a conversation between the three lead characters. They are newspaper reporters (and the sole staffers) for a small Maine paper called "The Weekly Islander". The two owners are old men named Vincent Teague and David Bowie (yes, really). The third person is a young, 22-year-old woman named Stephanie McCann. Stephanie is a post-grad student that comes to work at the small, island paper for 4 months. The story begins in August of 2005, 3 months into her work. After having lunch with a reporter from "The Boston Globe" at a place called The Grey Gull, during which Vince and Dave tell him about some unsolved local cases from across the past few decades, the three Islander reporters go back to their paper. Stephanie has a column called "Arts 'N Things", where she (not so enthusiastically) covers the local art scene (which isn't much). She, Vince, and Dave go outside, sit down, and drink Coke. Vince and Dave then tell Stephanie of an unsolved case from the 1980s that they had withheld from the Globe reporter, because there were too many unknowns. This is what makes up the bulk of the novel: Vince and Dave telling Stephanie about how a man was found dead on a beach, what they know, what they don't know, and their guesses as to what might have happened. They go back inside near the end of the novel and get back to work on the paper.
A lot of readers might feel cheated by the fact that King gives no resolution to the crime. They believe that a story, unlike real life, should provide answers. These people miss the point of the story.
The story is not about the murder. It's about Stephanie. While Vince and Dave do most of the talking in this story, Stephanie is probably the only character whose thoughts that we get any (or at least primary) insight to. We follow her as she listens to Vince and Dave, makes guesses, and asks questions. The story is not about the investigation of the murder of the Colorado Kid. The story is about the journalistic education of Stephanie McCann as she learns to think like an investigative reporter.
At the end of the novel, Stephanie is a little wiser and has pretty much decided to stay at the newspaper after her trial period ends (the island has the Internet and Direct TV, after all). We know she will make the decision to stay, because, near the end, King briefly breaks narrative flow by mentioning that Vince will die six months later (February of 2006), and Stephanie will cover the funeral service for the paper. Presumably, Stephanie will then be given more duties at the paper.
King does mention near the end of the novel that Stephanie knows "a certain young man" back home named Rick, "who would have to be dealt with if she decided to stay". While not explicitly a boyfriend, it seems odd that Stephanie, who King had characterized as having a sharp mind, would even be associated with someone who "would not take the news well" because "that wasn't how the story was supposed to go". Let's hope that Stephanie deals with that "messy" business well. Wait. Of course, she does. She's still around, six months later.
Despite that out-of-character passage, Stephanie is a very enjoyable character to read about and get to know. She has a good sense of humor, and she can't help but find some horrible things amusing. She's my kind of girl.
There is some cursing in this story, but it's mild by Stephen King standards. Most of it comes from Vince and Dave, but even Stephanie lets out two curses. Don't be too concerned about kids reading this book. It's harmless.
Don't be fooled by the front cover painting by Glen Orbik. It gives the potential reader the mistaken impression that Stephanie is an investigative reporter or a police detective that investigates the actual crime. Also, there's no indication in the novel that Stephanie actually tape-recorded anything. On a personal note, Stephanie doesn't strike me as the type of girl that would wear a dress or nail polish.
Don't be fooled by the description on the back cover either. The "graduate student in forensics" is not Stephanie but rather a young man that had contact with Vince and Dave about the case back in the 1980s.
I got this novel at a discount. Knowing then what I know now, I gladly would have paid full-price for it. It's a good character story. It's Stephanie's story. Get to know her.
Summary of The Colorado Kid (Hard Case Crime #13)
On an island off the coast of Maine, a man is found dead. There's no identification on the body. Only the dogged work of a pair of local newspapermen and a graduate student in forensics turns up any clues.But that's just the beginning of the mystery. Because the more they learn about the man and the baffling circumstances of his death, the less they understand. Was it an impossible crime? Or something stranger still...?
No one but Stephen King could tell this story about the darkness at the heart of the unknown and our compulsion to investigate the unexplained. With echoes of Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon and the work of Graham Greene, one of the world's great storytellers presents a surprising tale that explores the nature of mystery itself...
Literature & Fiction Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Literature & Fiction Books
Little Womenby Louisa May Alcott
Scribner; Published: 1986-06-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.49
Price in other shops:
The Killing Groundby JACK HIGGINS
HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS LTD; Published: 2007; Hardcover; Book
Saving Fish from Drowningby Amy Tan
4th Estate; Published: 2005; Paperback; Book
Life Expectancyby Dean Koontz
Harpercollins Pb; Published: 2005-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.00
Constant Princessby Philippa Gregory
Touchstone/Simon & Schuster; Published: 2005; Hardcover; Book
Wolf of the Plains (Conqueror, Book 1)by Conn Iggulden
Harper; Published: 2007; Paperback; Book
Saharaby Clive Cussler
Harper Collins Pb; Published: 2005-03-21; Paperback; Book
Perelandra (Cosmic Trilogy)by C. S. Lewis
Voyager; Published: 2005-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.76
Price in other shops:
The Lord Of The Rings: Part 2 The Two Towersby J. R. R. Tolkien
Harper Collins Publishers; Published: 2001; Paperback; Book
Red Marsby Kim Stanley Robinson
Trafalgar Square; Published: 2001-06; Paperback; Book
Similar Books and other products
Under the Dome: A Novelby Stephen King
Scribner; Published: 2009-11-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.80
Price in other shops:
Stephen King's N.by Marc Guggenheim
Marvel; Published: 2011-04-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.96
Price in other shops:
Just After Sunset: Storiesby Stephen King
Pocket Books; Published: 2009-09-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops:
Full Dark, No Starsby Stephen King
Pocket Books; Published: 2011-09-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.00
Price in other shops:
Colorado Kidby Stephen King
Heyne Taschenbuch; Published: 2009-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.57
Haven: The Complete First SeasonKoch International; Release date: 2011-06-14; DVD
Best price: $22.95
Price in other shops:
Cycle of the Werewolf (Signet)by Stephen King
NAL Trade; Published: 1985-04-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.29
Price in other shops:
Blockade Billyby Stephen King
Scribner; Published: 2010-05-25; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.21
Price in other shops:
Blockade Billyby Stephen King
Scribner; Published: 2010-05-25; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.95
Price in other shops:
11/ 22/ 63: A Novelby Stephen King
Scribner; Published: 2011-11-08; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.20
Price in other shops: