Review of 'The Colorado Kid'
The Colorado Kid by Stephen King
On a small island off the coast of Maine a man is discovered on a beach propped up against a trash can and most obviously dead. He is not a local and he has no identifying documentation…so who is he and how did he get here? Two old men, the sole operators of the local newspaper, tell the mysterious story of “The Colorado Kid” to Stephanie, a young intern. Years after the discovery of the body the identity of the man is uncovered but this raises more questions as the story becomes even stranger with an extremely unbelievable logistical challenge he faced in travelling to the small community, never mind why he did it in the first place…
A novella from the master of crime and horror “The Colorado Kid” will likely polarize readers as, without giving anything away, the story does not give anything away – The solution to the mystery is left unrevealed but the author himself tells us that the point here is in telling the story of the story as related across the table of a diner by two old men to a enthusiastic new intern. Indeed, the dialogue and vivid descriptions of the characters is what is most appealing about the book. As always, King has delivered a well-written and textured story that manages to capture the essence of humanity and it's mannerisms - You can picture the entire thing in your head as the story goes on. In the afterword, the author teases that he has in mind a single ideal solution to the mystery but he steadfastly refuses, despite this newer edition of the book, to reveal it. I guess, with this, we have to sit back and enjoy the ride knowing it will never entirely finish…
Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”
Review Date: 2026-11-01
Genre: Crime/Mystery
Publisher: Hard Case Crime
Publication Date: 2019
ISBN: 9781789091557
Other reviewed books by Stephen King:
- Song of Susannah (Book 6 of The Dark Tower)
- The Dark Tower (Book 7 of The Dark Tower)
- The Drawing of the Three (Book 2 of The Dark Tower)
- The Gunslinger (Book 1 of The Dark Tower)
- The Waste Lands (Book 3 of The Dark Tower)
- Wizard and Glass (Book 4 of The Dark Tower)
- Wolves of the Calla (Book 5 of The Dark Tower)