The Colorado Kid

The Colorado Kid (Hard Case Crime #13)

3.16 of 5 stars 3.16  ·  rating details  ·  9,576 ratings  ·  817 reviews
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 i

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Mass Market Paperback, First edition, 184 pages
Published October 4th 2005 by Hard Crime Case (first published January 2005)
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Community Reviews

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Jennifer Wardrip
I picked up this book, not because I'm a Stephen King fan (although I am), but because it was part of the new Hard Case Crime division of Dorchester Publishing. I'll admit, the variety of authors they've collected to write for them is extensive, and THE COLORADO KID just happened to be the first one in the Hard Case group to make it to the top of my to-be-read pile.

I understand, after reading THE COLORADO KID, why so many people on here posted negative reviews. I understand, because just like t...more
Greg
A quick check of the personal 'most read authors' feature on goodreads tells me that this is my thirty-third Stephen King book, and it's the one that pushed King ahead of Bukowski as my most read author. There is the possibility that maybe there are a couple of duplicate ratings in there, but I'm not going to look. I'd rather have Stephen King be my most read author than Bukowski (32 Bukowski books?!? I know I really liked him for about five years, but how many times could I read the same story?...more
Leslie
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Dennis D.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
m.k.
There was a point in time where I thought King had lost his touch - I've always thought of him as a superb storyteller but there were a few books after the accident that just didn't hold my attention. I started one of them over a few times and finally gave up. I don't know when King's mojo returned, but I'm inclined to say that it's definitely back in The Colorado Kid. This book may not seem like a noir, not at first, but the elements are there and it's a mystery story about storytelling and mys...more
Chris
This is King's entry into the "Hard Case Crime" imprint, and it's an interesting addition to the genre. According to their website, they specialize in "hardboiled crime fiction," which brings to mind the likes of Mickey Spillane and Ellmore Leonard. Lots of tough guys, fast-talking women and some poor dead bastard whose murder will probably get away scot free.

So it's interesting that King should write a hardboiled crime story with, as his characters tell us over and over again, no story to it. "...more
Jamieson
I am a new fan of the Hard Case Crime series. I stumbled upon the book “Branded Woman” by Wade Miller one day and was astonished. Hard Case Crime is bringing back all the old pulp novels of yesteryear and publishing new pulp novels by some of today’s most amazing writers. I thought, what a great idea! I had never had a chance to read an old pulp novel but now I was being given my chance!

So I was equally amazed when I head that one of my favorite authors was going to be writing a novel for the se...more
Bob
Stephen King pulls a fast one with his Pulp-Mystery, The Colorado Kid, dragging the reader into the tale with an intriguing mystery that begs to be solved. A man that no one seems to know is found dead on an island off the coast of Maine, with no identification and sparse clues as to how he came to be there.

In typical King fashion, he grounds his story with interesting but believable, hometown characters that could easily be the people next door. However, I had a hard time believing that Stepha...more
Jenna
One of my favourite elements in any media, be it television, movies or books, is the makeshift family element. The characters who have no blood relation but come together as kin. And to me, this is what Steffi, Vince and Dave represent in this book. They're a family, in a way, and I loved reading about them. The banter thrown back and forth between Vince and Dave, the way they challenge Stephanie to think more creatively.

The subject of the book itself, the Colorado Kid mystery, is fascinating....more
Pierre A
Jan 16, 2013 Pierre A marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
"I ask you to consider the fact that we live in a web of mystery, and have simply gotten so used to the fact that we have crossed out the word and replaced it with one we like better, that one being reality. Where do we come from? Where were we before we were here? Don’t know. Where are we going? Don’t know. A lot of churches have what they assure us are the answers, but most of us have a sneaking suspicion all that might be a con-job laid down to fill the collection plates. In the meantime, we...more
Natalie
I was at the library looking for another Stephen King book (The Gunslinger, in case you were interested. And, for the record, I was quite put out because they were supposed to have a copy in and after looking for over 10 minutes, it was no where to be found. I am now forced to wait for one of the other copies to come in. But that's all beside the point.)

So...anyway...I was looking for this book and couldn't find it, but I noticed The Colorado Kid sitting there and I was drawn to it because one o...more
James Howard
There are two things about the Colorado Kid that will throw most readers off. One, this is not your typical Stephen King story, and two, while this book was the inspiration for the television show Haven, there isn’t much of a connection between the story and the show. There is no blood, guts, or gore in this story, well with the exception of a dead body, so some fringe Stephen King fans may be taken aback. But remember, much like in the Shawshank Redemption and others, King is a 'story teller' n...more
Gail Gauthier
I picked up this book at a library sale because it's supposed to be the inspiration for the TV series "Haven." Not that I particularly like "Haven," but the title "The Colorado Kid" intrigued me, and the book is quite short.

This is rather a talky book in which two elderly newspapermen (the only characters who are holdovers to the TV series) tell a young woman colleague...something. They don't actually tell her a story because, as they keep telling her, there is no story in what they're telling...more
Elaine White
The Colorado Kid is the first Stephen King novel I can remember reading. I wanted to read it the minute I saw the TV show Haven, and saw that it was based on The Colorado Kid.

I hate stories without endings. At least in novels. Yet, I’ve happily read and enjoyed not only this book but also The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective, which is also based on a true story, and which also does not give a satisfying ending. However, I love the Afterw...more
William M.
I supposed this book will polarize many readers. They will either love it or hate it. Personally, I quite enjoyed it. The best way to go into the book is not to have any expectations. Begin reading and let Stephen King take you on a journey. This is one author that you can trust to deliver. Although I was not in love with many of his recent books, I still respect his mastery of the craft. The Colorado Kid had a lot more hits than misses for me and was one of the better reads from recent King rel...more
Courtney Cantrell
Mystery fans will pick up this book because it's a mystery. Stephen King fans will pick it up because it's Stephen King. Of the two sets of readers, the mystery fans will be the once more likely to enjoy themselves.

The Colorado Kid is a quick-read mystery, nothing more and nothing less. Don't expect the supernatural; don't expect the in-depth characterization contained in King's longer works. If you read the author's afterword, you'll discover that this book delivers exactly what King wanted it...more
Lucas Rodriguez
Si pudiera describir a Colorado Kid en una palabra, esa sería decepción.
Nunca me preocupé por la longitud de la novela (escasas 150 páginas) ya que King puede entregar verdaderas maravillas en pocas páginas, pero una vez llegado a más de la mitad de la historia, uno va perdiendo esperanzas de que esté realmente frente a una historia más del señor Horror.

La historia, en pocas líneas, nos pone frente a dos ancianos regentes de un pequeño diario en una isla quienes cuentan a una periodista interna...more
Nicholas
So this is the first "hard case" crime story that I've ever read. That being said, I'm not entirely sure what the genre is supposed to look or feel like. I have some impressions from other pulpy type stories that I've seen in film, but no novels.

The Colorado Kid concerns the discovery of a body on the beach of a small island community and the unravelling of its mysterious origins. The story itself is rather uncomplicated, in fact, the narrators mention several times throughout that it's not rea...more
Dragana
I picked this book up because I am a fan of a Haven series, and in the credits I read it is based on it. The mysterious murder of Colorado Kid is not covered in the series, but is mentioned many times as part of the town's history. So I wanted to learn more about it.

Main characters from the show are not even mentioned in the book, the storytellers here are cute pair of newspaper reporters: Vince & Dave.

Not seeing anything cute about them? Well, you gotta know them to love them. :D

When I fini...more
David
Even average Stephen King is worth reading. I'd call The Colorado Kid, a short novel (almost a novella) a notch above average, maybe 3.5 stars.

It's not really a "hard-boiled" mystery, though, and I don't know why it's labeled as such. That sultry dame on the cover is pretty misleading; the story is actually an unsolved murder being related to a young reporter working on a small tourist island newspaper in Maine by two old-timers who've been living there and reporting for the paper since forever....more
Lakis Fourouklas
To be honest this book I’ve read mostly out of curiosity, since one my favorite TV series, Haven, is based on it. The thing is though that after reading the book I’ve come to realize that its connection to the series is so light that if I didn’t already know it existed, I’d be really surprised if I ever found out about it. What the creators of the series did was take one of the many mysterious cases mentioned in the novel and built on it, while bringing at the same time to the forefront some of...more
Jim
Because I'm a fan of the Syfy series HAVEN, I have been wanting to read this short novel for quite some time, as it inspired the television series. As it turns out in this case, the inspiration plays out in the form of the show's setting in Maine and the names of the two men in charge of the small local newspaper. And that's pretty much where the inspiration ends. Still, it is an interesting story and mystery, but anyone who wants answers is going to be bitterly disappointed here, as King makes...more
Roberta
Un libro in parte osannato, in parte aspramente criticato, per lo stesso motivo: la mancanza di un finale che risolva un mistero. Il lettore rimane pertanto a bocca asciutta ma, come suggerisce King nella postfazione, "in questo caso particolare, non sono tanto interessato alla soluzione quanto al mistero in sè. Perchè è stato il mistero a farmi tornare alla storia, giorno dopo giorno." L'autore ci invita a trovare una soluzione dopo averci spiegato che l'uomo vive immerso nel mistero e, pur con...more
Dan Keating
When I picked up The Colorado Kid at a used book store, I figured I was paying a couple dollars for a quick, fun afternoon read. I'd heard of the book because of the Syfy Channel original series "Haven," which claims to be based on it. I didn't think it'd wind up being one of the best books I'd read in a long time - but that's what it wound up being.

First off, The Colorado Kid is a mystery, not a horror novel. It also does not explicitly involve anything supernatural - as a matter of fact, it go...more
Nancy
In the Afterword, Stephen King notes that he expects his readers will either love or hate this book. I would agree. If you are expecting a scary horror story, you will be disappointed. If on the other hand, you are interested is in a thought-provoking mystery that doesn't spoon feed the reader the answers or tie things up in a nice little package at the end, this is absolutely the book for you.

I read this book because I have been totally sucked into the television series, Haven, which is based...more
Adam Richter
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Sara Thompson
This is a short, easy to understand book so it could easily be read by a juvenile. This book is not your typical Stephen King. I wanted to read it because I have fallen in love with Haven on the Syfy channel which is based on this book. I was a little nervous that it might ruin the show for me - like give me the answer to the mystery. The book was good maybe even great but I haven't really decided yet.
The book is a story told from two elderly newsreporters (at a very small newspaper in a small t...more
Anthony
"TCK" is a short book (184 pages including the author's note at the end) that King wrote in 2005 for the somewhat new publisher Hard Case Crime. It is not what people expect as a typical King book, because there's nothing of the supernatural in it. It's also not really "hard boiled crime fiction," but more of a "cozy mystery" -- and even that description doesn't work because as the author has his characters point out, real life is not like an Ellery Queen story or an episode of Murder, She Wrote...more
Brie
Jan 02, 2011 Brie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Theatre people
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Yolanda Sfetsos
What a fascinating tale. I know some people might feel cheated after reading this intriguing mystery but I loved it. Very good book with all the trademark King, including the nature of the mystery. The interaction between the two old guys - Dave and Vince - and the young Stephanie is a great dymanic. He gives you just enough info to feel like you actually know them.

This book gets two thumbs up from me (since there are only 2, I think you get how much I liked it!) A great little read which'll no...more
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Stephen King Fans: Haven 70 205 Nov 20, 2012 06:24pm  
solution to the mystery? 3 105 Aug 15, 2012 12:36pm  
Stephen King Fans: The Colorado Kid 18 53 Dec 31, 2008 05:52am  
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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his parents separated when Stephen was a toddler, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family...more
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