The Colorado Kid

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...

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

If you have to know what happens, don't buy it.

The story is very laid back and the pace putters along, much like the two old guys who act as narrators. But the story is good and, even though the story-in-the-story begins with a "do you know any tales that are truly unsolved mysteries?" question, you still hope that in the end you'll find out what really happened.
You don't.
But it's still vintage King and the characters are interesting--if maybe a bit boring this time around--and you do find yourself not just caring, but thinking about the story days later.
On the other hand, it's also pretty short and the whole non-ending is kind of annoying and, again, the characters--and story--are sometimes a little boring. I'd give the story three and a half stars if I could.
My favorite review was Anthony in Utah who described it as follows: "The best way to describe this booklet is to imagine a CSI episode told to you by two old men who forget how the show ended."
That's it exactly!

Not what I expected

A decent listen from my all time favorite writer. Ending was not what I expected which made me question why I listened to the whole book. Truly, on of those that the joy was the journey not the end

I totally get that this is a story about a story. It's just a boring story.

I totally get that this is a story about a story. It's just a boring story. Told in a very annoying slow paced way by two old men. It makes me think of listening for over 3 hours to the secretary at the fraternal order of Elks reading off the minutes of the last meeting.

Stephen King is my favorite story teller of all time, but in my opinion this one is just dull. You can't like every single thing a writer writes just because he/she wrote it. It makes all of your opinions invalid. You must look through a true critics eye. Searching for what you like and taking notice of what you don't. Then you can have a clearer idea of what writers work for you. In this case, as I make my way through the Stephen King library I found myself feeling like I'd gotten tripped up by a bad story.
All of his amazing books make you feel a very profound emotion... This one made me feel bored and annoyed.

Not Typical Stephen King

The Colorado Kid is a story about the recounting and speculation of the unexplainable appearance of a dead body on the coast of Maine. It is entertaining, but the reader should not expect closure. This is a story “with no through line” as one of the characters was fond of putting it.

Jeffrey DeMunn brings each character to life with his mastery of accents.

an excellent book read by a terrific narrator

This is one of my favorite audio books because of the excellent narration. I deeply enjoy the story and the characters, and the description of the Mainer accent is terrific. I think I've listened to this book at least 10 times. The fact that it's out of print in physical form makes this excellent audiobook even more impressive. This one isn't just for traditional Stephen King fans -- it isn't horror at all. It's just an interesting story.