The Colorado Kid (Hard Case Crime Book 13)

If you're looking for clues to help you better understand the TV series Haven, as I was, you won't find them here. But put Audrey Parker aside for a while and read this story with a clean slate, and you'll be glad you did.As other reviews have mentioned, the ending is no ending, however King never tries to disguise that the resolution may be unsatisfactory; his newspapermen warn their young protégé of that multiple times. Read this for the beauty of the mystery, the flawless writing and the hour you'll spend in creative thought after you've finished it. If you can be about the journey and not the destination, you'll really enjoy this story.

Others have complained about the lack of an ending, but this book doesn’t even have a middle either. The circumstances of a mysterious death are explained, and then the book ends. Like King got bored with writing it for some reason.Until the abrupt end, there is little more than a padded short story here. Yet it is still priced like a full novel.And the comparison on Amazon to Dashiell Hammett is shameful. They have nothing whatsoever in common. Don’t be fooled.King even tries to justify himself in the afterward, knowing that people will hate it, but that didn’t stop him from taking my money.

I’m Stephen King’s second biggest fan. Annie Wilkes holds that honor, sort of. That being said, I confess I have had “The Colorado Kid” both in paperback and on my Kindle for a long time. Usually, I cannot resist a new King book and plunge in as soon as I grab hold of one. It wasn’t until I started writing my own crime mysteries that I took a second look at this little book. A good mystery lays out the clues and leads the reader around different theories, allowing said reader to draw a few conclusions of his own. Starting off with the likable team of journalists who make up a small-town Maine newspaper, King sets the stage for the story of the ‘Colorado Kid’. After Vince Teague and Dave Bowie share some stories of unsolved mysteries of the area with a Boston Globe feature writer, they return to their office with intern Stephanie McCann. It’s there that the tale of the twenty-five-year mystery is told. Vince and Dave talk about other Maine and New England mysteries until Stephanie presses them to reveal the story they wouldn’t share with the outsider. Despite the fact that Stephanie came to the Weekly Islander from Ohio, she had gained the respect of the older men during her three months in the small town. From the discovery of the dead body by a couple of high school students running near Hammock Beach in early spring, through the clues set out in the story, the story is compelling. The evidence is right there in front of them but putting it all together is a challenge before DNA, computers, and the internet. Was the man a murder victim? Had he had a heart attack? Did he somehow commit suicide? Or was it some kind of accident? But the most important question is, who is the man? King’s brilliance is his ability to write dialogue that rings true. It’s like standing behind and listening to the town constable and the local doctor discuss the body and what might have occurred. Each character seems to hold a piece of the story. But it’s only the persistence of “a pair of local newspapermen and a graduate student in forensics” that the identity of the kid comes to light. While the story doesn’t end there, it does add to the mystery of what the body of the dead man was doing on a beach in Maine. I leave it to the reader to discover how the story ends… or doesn’t end. A word of warning, not all mysteries are solved. This book is not about answers but about man’s natural curiosity and need for solid endings. In “The Colorado Kid” King brings to mind the Rolling Stones lyrics, “You can’t always get what you want.” But sometimes you get what you need.

This book made me so mad, I literally threw it across the room when I was done. King obviously had an idea but didn't know how to end it. So his conclusion, his big solution to the mystery? Nobody knows! Oooo! Come on, that's not even remotely clever - that's King throwing his pen in the air and giving up! I don't completely blame King, though. A good writer needs a good editor, and he obviously doesn't have one. No good editor would have let this get published. But at this point in his career, Stephen King has the same problem as J.K. Rowling: his publisher will print anything with his name on it, including his grocery list.

I understand that King wanted to give Pulp Fictions a shot and take a break from horror, but why write such a mediocre tale of your going to write anything at all?It honestly seems like a rushed attempt. It feels like multiple times throughout the book King attempts to prep the reader for the terrible ending by saying “remember this isn’t a story.” Just seemed like such a copout for knowingly releasing subpar work.Avoid this one.

If your looking for a mystery fr mystery's sake then this book does the job.If you want it wrapped in a pretty bow then you will be disappointed.If you watched Haven and expected this to enlighten you..Then you will really be disappointed.Pick your category above and choose with care.

I bought because I am a fan of the Haven television series that was based on this book and I wanted to get to the roots of the show. That said, the TV series is VERY loosely based on this book. A good, simple read true to Stephen King's style.

I have had this book for years and saving it for a time that I needed a good dependable read. King, my all time favorite author ( or GOAT if you prefer) rarely disappoints so now was the time.Not to long ago I read an enjoyed "LATER" so I figured " The Colorado Kid" would be a safe bet. Turns out that I did enjoy the story; I liked the two older news guys and the young apprentice. I enjoyed the mystery given and the steps taken to solve the mystery. I enjoyed the way the mystery was laid out to the young intern. And I turned the page and there was the authors acknowledgements???I read the acknowledgement and Mr. Kings argument for no ending and I don't agree with his reasoning. I know that he has been criticized throughout his career for his endings and while I didn't always like his endings it is his stories and he should end them anyway he wants. I always felt like his endings were realistic and glad that he dosen't take the easy way out and end with all being roses and unicorns. But in this case I feel the story is incomplete so I deducted the fourth star that the story or mystery deserves. Still it is his story and he should end it his way.

This is a short story padded out with coffee & donuts but is a good read nevertheless - always the least you get from the Maestro. If, like me, you're a Constant Reader then this is required reading but if you are new to this author don't let this be your introduction - it's just not that great. Stephen King has another novel in this crime series called 'Joyland' which I reread immediately after this offering just to remind myself what a truly great writer he is when he's on song. Joyland is proper novel (if still on the short side), beautifully written with a beginning, middle & end in the coorrect order & has a satisfying outcome - something that's becoming rare what with all the sequels & prequels which abound these days. Joyland would be a great introduction for any King newby as it has a bit of everything that he's best known for without being OTT for a reader who's not read him before. The Colorado Kid is an experiment - not to be repeated, hopefully.

I’ve bern waiting for this reissue for a while because it’s one of the King novellas I missed when it was first released by HCC.Initially I was swept away in the story, as usual the characters are great, and I thought it’d be one of those stories where King is just enjoying himself with words.About three quarters of the way he just lost me. I started to become increasingly irritated by the lack of answers (yes, that is real life but if I’m reading I want to be in the hands of someone who’ll give me SOME resolution.)The other issue that I had was that you can’t have a character called David Bowie without at least making a tiny reference to the singer. By the end, my irritation was bordering on irrational.

A very satisfying read - as long as you aren't expecting all the answers! Fortunately (and ironically?) this illustrated paperback edition DOES have a beginning, middle and end, in the form of an introduction by Charles Ardai, the main story, and an afterword by King. Be sure to read them in order.I'm sure anyone reading the story cold (not having been warned the mystery is never fully solved) would feel a little cheated. Would that be perversely satisfying in its own way? I'll never know! But I'm happy with what I did get out of it.Just one question in my head still. Who was the lady with the red purse???

This book is the basis for the TV show Haven, though only on a very superficial level. It was short, only 200 pages, I read it in an hour, it was good, I enjoyed it, but ultimately a teeny bit disappointing, no explanation at the end, which is something I like, King left it deliberately vague which he concedes is something that a reader will either love or hate, I didn't hate or love it, just felt slightly " oh, is that it ?"

Pull up a chair, and listen to two old timers tell you a story. It may not have a beginning, a middle and an end... but does it matter? No. It actually doesn’t matter at all.This book is wonderfully written. No one does it like Mr King.