The Colorado Kid

A Hard Case Crime Novel

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Jeffrey DeMunn

Length: 3 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2005 Stephen King (P)2005 Simon & Schuster Inc. All rights reserved. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division.

Charming

I found the story charming much like an old radio drama, or a small play.
The voice work is good and the story wraps up right on time.

If you are in the mood for something short and sweet this could be it.

Not Your Usual King

Many people complain about this books ending, personally I liked it, it was more of how real life investigations go. The actual story is really short, but King still excels at it. The story itself isnt really creative but is still interesting. DeMunn did a decent job, not a five star performance but still ok. I havent had a chance to experience Kings other Hard Case works so hopefully Joyland is better.

An interesting story,

This reminds me the most of Dolores Claiborne, I think I liked DC a little better, this is still good, and I enjoyed the overall mystery of what happened. Don't read this if you need all the pieces wrapped up with a bow, but overall I enjoyed it.

Fascinating!

Another King masterpiece. While living with the characters, whom you begin to love as friends, you'll contemplate life, love and loss, and learn something about the art of storytelling.

Thanks to Mr. Demunn for his reading, which brought my enjoyment of this listen to 200%!

Strange but interesting

I listened to this story because I noticed the T.V. series "Haven" was based on it. I just started to watch the series today and found it fun to watch and I wondered how the two matched. I am still not sure but I am glad I listened to the story.

Just captivating!!!

King never fails to deliver. This story leaves your mouth watering for more. Can't wait to read it again.

The suspense

It was a solid and interesting story which I enjoyed and it was a light and quick listen.

Too many reviewers seem to miss the point.

Don't be scared off by reviewers who expected a formulaic clone, and are angry they got something more complex and nuanced.

All of the vitriol in other reviews seems to come from expectations that as a reader, you deserve clear solutions; that you shouldn't be left to speculate, or actually made to think about a story; that the answer should be spelled out in nice big letters. It would be a shame to see this gem tossed aside because it's not enough like other books.

To start with, this is not a mystery story. It is a story about the nature of mysteries. The point of the novel is not to tell the story of an unexplained death; it's to tell the story of the story, it's impact on those who hear it, and to explore how unanswered questions affect us.

It's fantasy to think that every mystery can be solved, that every loose end can be neatly tied up, and that every story has a tidy ending. This one doesn't, and it's a much better book because of it. Go in to this audiobook with an open mind, and you're sure to enjoy it.

How did they get the TV show Haven from this story

Would you try another book from Stephen King and/or Jeffrey DeMunn?

Sure

If you’ve listened to books by Stephen King before, how does this one compare?

Not as good.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

I guess - I thought the story really went no where and lots of extras details I thought were distracting.

Could you see The Colorado Kid being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

It already was made into a TV show called Haven and aside from the two newspaper guys on a island of the coast of Maine - I have no idea how the show is related to this story.

Were any of you actually reading??

Overall, I enjoyed the book. Not the best one i've ever read, but entertaining nonetheless. I noticed quite a few people comlain about the ending (or lack thereof) and I just keep asking myself this: "Did any of you pay attention to anything the book said!?!" Sure, being used to the nice, tidy packages that we are used to having our stories handed to us in, I was kind of expecting a last-minute "guess what, here's the answer to all your questions." But I was actually glad when it didn't come. I mean, that would have been like King saying, "well forget every point I've tried to make this whole book, here's what you want to hear." This book actually got me thinking. It made me reflect on how we rarely get to understand everything that we want to, and sometimes that's for the best. It gives us the chance to expand our minds and excercize our wonderful cognative potential. I for one was glad King didn't spoon feed me the answer, but left the rest of the story up to me. It's a brave thing to do when everyone is a critic, but I say Bravo, Stephen King, Bravo!