Like the other Stephen King's'short' releases, this one was just okay.

It is worth reading because it is written by the main man himself, Stephen King. However, it is not spectacular.

King is known for his ability to create engaging and thrilling stories, but this particular short release fails to reach those high standards.

The plot may be interesting enough to keep the reader hooked, but it lacks the depth and complexity that we have come to expect from King.

The characters are not as well-developed as they could be, and the ending feels a bit rushed.

Overall, while it is not a bad read, it is not one of King's best works.

Fans of his may still enjoy it, but those looking for a truly outstanding story may be disappointed.

I picked up this book, not because I'm a die-hard Stephen King fan (even though I am), but because it was part of the new Hard Case Crime division of Dorchester Publishing.

I'll admit, the range of authors they've assembled to write for them is extensive, and THE COLORADO KID just happened to be the first one in the Hard Case group to reach the top of my to-be-read pile.

After reading THE COLORADO KID, I understand why so many people on here posted negative reviews. Just like the main characters in the story told me, a mystery with no resolution simply frustrates people. People渴望a happy conclusion to a problem - whether it's the reason behind 9/11, the cause of high oil prices, the murder of a young woman in Wisconsin, or how a man from Colorado went to work one morning and ended up dead on a small island off the coast of Maine only hours later.

Not knowing, not having Mr. King lay it out for us, angered many readers of this book. Should it have? Maybe. But I actually felt that there was a resolution to this story - namely, that not everything in life has as neat an ending as we'd like our stories to have. Of all the people who die in the US every year, how many do you think have their cause of death remain unsolved, or in the case of murder, the perpetrator is never caught? Life - this wild roller-coaster ride that we board every day and hold on to for dear life - is not black and white, and it definitely doesn't offer us tidy conclusions at the end of each day.

THE COLORADO KID is, quite simply, a character study of not knowing. We can gather the facts, we can推测what we believe happened based on those facts, but in the end, it's all a mystery.

Kudos to Mr. King for taking an idea, running with it, and showing that he couldn't care less if we understand it or not. This book left me with questions, yes, and I actually thank him for that. A book that makes you think and question will always be more valuable than one that doesn't.

Nothing much happened in this book, yet there was something about the story that was truly endearing. I believe it might have been the characters and their relationships with one another. In this short book, there are only three characters: Dave, Vince, and Stephanie. All three of these characters have such a profound and deep connection. Dave and Vince are lifelong friends, and Stephanie is somewhat of an adoptive member of the gang. The story being told through a storytelling format was really interesting. It made for a really quick read, but it also effectively showcased the characters and their personalities. The mystery wasn't overly complex, despite it being unsolved. However, it kept you interested enough to want to know the theories that Dave and Vince have about it, even though they have pondered it for 25 years.

I wouldn't consider this one of King's best works. But you can definitely see how much he cared about these characters as he was writing them. And I think I grew to care about them just as much. This was a fun little read. Definitely very forgettable in terms of plot, but the characters are what give it its substance. They bring the story to life and make it worth reading.

A quick check of the personal 'most read authors' feature on Goodreads reveals that this is my thirty-third Stephen King book. It's the one that has propelled King ahead of Bukowski as my most read author. There's a possibility of a couple of duplicate ratings in there, but I'm not going to bother looking. I'd rather have Stephen King in that position 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?).

Doing some personal history mental math, I calculate that I haven't read a Stephen King novel in about seventeen years and two months. After a string of disappointing books in the early to mid-90's, I simply stopped reading him. My tastes became pretentious, and I'd been let down too many times in a row (three, I think it was) by mediocre books to pay much attention to any new ones he wrote. Then, when I started working at the bookstore, I kept hearing very mixed things about each new book. A guy I worked with who loved Stephen King seemed to love all the new books with reservations that sounded like nostalgia creeping into his enjoyment, and anyone else whose opinion I trusted never had anything good to say about each new book.

I actually thought I'd never read another Stephen King book again. Like a jilted lover, I'd cut my ties with him. But in my heart, I'll always love the dorky looking guy who well-meaning customers sometimes like to tell me I look just like (I don't think this is a compliment, but it's probably true, although I personally think I'm less dorky and better looking than him). Different Seasons was my first 'grown-up' book that didn't involve commandos, crazed gunmen vigilantes or ninjas. Needful Things was the first book I anxiously awaited its release and bought in hardcover the day it came out. The four stories that made up the sadly out of print Bachman Books were some of the first stories I read with the literary equivalent of being smacked in the chest with a sledgehammer (this is a good thing). It was the novel that got me hooked on 'big' books and the awe they inspire in lesser mortals who shy away from reading thousand-page tomes (and the realization that some stories are just better when they have all that room to ferment and unfurl themselves). Pet Sematary succeeded as being one of the few novels to actually scare me (although the movie might have helped). Even when it wasn't just about the scares or the thrills, most of the themes I find myself enjoying in books today I first came across in Stephen King (he probably is an underrated author, now that I'm actually thinking of it). The protagonist of "The Long Walk" could easily stand in for a Sisyphean existential anti-hero. My first literary taste and ruminations about Nazis probably came from "Apt Pupil", The Dark Half could have been a horror version of a Borges short story. And as my swiss cheese memory can't remember the plot details of novels I read two months ago, never mind almost any details about short stories or who wrote short story plots that my feeble mind happens to remember a few months later, I can remember vividly details from probably most of the stories from Night Shift or Skeleton Crew.

That's my nostalgic gushing about my favorite author from seventh grade through about my sophomore year of college. And now I've read another novel of his. This isn't very good. The story is not bad, but it's not a novel. It's what could be a good side plot in a novel, an aside that would tie into the main story in some way. The story is basically two old newspaper guys on an island off the coast of Maine are telling a young reporter about an unsolved case they were a part of twenty-something years ago. The bulk of the novel is the two guys telling the story, and at the end you find out there really aren't any details known about the man who died, except for his name and that against almost all logic he wound up on a beach in Maine dead one morning. I like non-resolution in books, so I didn't have a problem with this. I just didn't see the point to the book. As a story within a novel, this could have worked perfectly. It could have been used in a slightly condensed version as a story within a novel even if it didn't directly tie into the main plot. It would have been great to get a feeling of the locale. As a long-ish short story, it could have worked, too. But as a novel? It didn't do it for me. As a novel that is part of the Hard Case series, of mostly hard-boiled crime novels, it doesn't seem to fit in at all. It's better written than say a book by Max Allan Collins or Mickey Spillane. The writing is good, the pacing is great. It's just that I don't see the point of it being a novel. In a series of books with Donald Westlake, Lawrence Block and Ed McBain lording over the quality of the books, you need more than a quirky tale and good writing. The book needs to really sing. I'm thinking maybe I should be more impressed by this 'anti-mystery' than I am. Isn't it punk rock to churn out something like this for a series of crime novels that are all basically predicated on a fairly rigid set of formulaic rules? Should that get me excited and make me sing praises the same way I did over the conclusion of The Hunger Games trilogy? Maybe. Quite possibly yes. I'm not always the most consistent when it comes to my opinions.

For me, it is a bit too short.

I have a problem with the shorter works of the author (not all of them, but most of them), because I have the impression that there is no development of ideas and characters here, and the whole thing comes across rather faintly.

It seems that the author could have delved deeper into the themes and explored the characters more fully to create a more engaging and impactful piece.

Perhaps with more detailed descriptions and a more complex narrative structure, the work could have had a greater emotional resonance and left a stronger impression on the reader.

As it stands, it feels like a missed opportunity to truly bring the story to life and make it something memorable.

However, it's important to note that this is just my personal opinion, and others may have a different perspective on the author's shorter works.

Maybe they appreciate the简洁 and direct style, or find something else of value in the brevity.

Nonetheless, for me, the lack of development in these shorter pieces is a drawback that prevents them from reaching their full potential.

I just don't know how I feel about this one.

King himself even says in the afterword that you either love it or hate it. I think the reviews truly reflect this.

I didn't like it for King, but had someone else's name been associated with it, I can't help but think I would have.

The story is about trying to unravel the mystery of a John Doe found dead on a beach, told from the perspective of 2 aging newspaper journalists to their young apprentice.

There wasn't a lot of information to work with, and it just dragged in parts, which I'm sure was the intention.

His other 2 hard crime books, Joyland and Later, are both excellent. So, just read them and then decide for yourself if this one is for you.

Maybe you'll have a different opinion than I do. It's always interesting to see how different people respond to the same work of literature.

You might find something in this book that I missed.

“The Colorado Kid” by Stephen King is an outstanding mystery that truly captivated me from the very start. It's a unique novella, presenting a story within a story with numerous layers, making the mystery of what exactly happened to the Colorado Kid all the more enticing. The characters are particularly engaging, and as the pieces of the puzzle begin to fit together, it becomes a solid and thrilling mystery.

I relished all the little clues scattered throughout the book as I endeavored to figure out the truth about the Colorado Kid. The entire narrative was interesting until the very end. Rest assured, I won't spoil anything for you, but this was such an enjoyable read that I thoroughly savored it from beginning to end. It's definitely a great conversation starter for book clubs that have just finished it. Asking your fellow readers what they think about the Colorado Kid is bound to elicit some fascinating responses!

I rate “The Colorado Kid” by Stephen King a 5/5. Although many may have opinions about the ending, I believe it was deliberately crafted in this way and format to encourage discussions in book clubs worldwide. There's so much to analyze and understand that I think this was the whole intention in the grand scheme of things.

The Colorado Kid is the very first Stephen King novel that I can vividly recall reading. The moment I laid eyes on the TV show Haven and discovered that it was based on this very book, I knew I had to get my hands on it.

I have an aversion to stories that lack endings, especially in novels. Nevertheless, I have not only happily read and relished 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 likewise fails to provide a gratifying conclusion. However, I have a particular fondness for the Afterword in this book, penned by Stephen King himself. In it, he reminds us all that life is the ultimate enigma, and there are certain things that not only will never be resolved but perhaps should not be.

I am a die-hard fan of Conspiracy Theories, at least when it comes to reading about them. Marilyn Monroe, JFK, UFOs, and Jack the Ripper all fall within the realm of my interests. These are cases that are mysterious, curious, and captivating, yet probably never fully solvable. No matter how many people conduct investigations into Marilyn Monroe or JFK's deaths, or how many scientific inquiries are carried out regarding UFO sightings, we can never truly be certain what the final answer is. Or if it will even be discovered within our lifetime. And I find that aspect utterly fascinating.

I adored everything about The Colorado Kid. I loved the absence of a definite answer, I loved the palpable suspense, and I loved the characters of Stephanie, Dave, and Vincent. I loved it all. Although it is vastly different from the TV show Haven and the whole Audrey storyline, which is even more mysterious, I believe I have a greater affinity for this book. It feels more real, more tangible, and it nags at my brain more than any supernatural phenomenon like the Troubles ever could.

I really liked this novel by Stephen King. It's a rather light and short novel, something that King doesn't usually do, but he managed to keep me intrigued until the end.

The plot starts when Vince Teague and Dave Bowie, the editor and manager of The Islander newspaper, begin to tell the story of a case they investigated many years ago to Steffani, the intern who is doing a practice at their newspaper.

The case is about a man who was found dead on a beach of the island where they live, located on the coast of Maine. The man was undocumented, and only by certain coincidences and after a year, they find a clue, thanks to an intern forensic, so they can identify him.

But the more they investigate, the stranger the circumstances surrounding the man nicknamed Colorado Kid become, and the less they understand him.... Is it a strange crime? Or simply an accidental death?

This novel has a unique charm. The characters are well-developed, and the mystery keeps you guessing until the very end. King's writing style is as engaging as always, and he manages to create a vivid and atmospheric setting. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a good mystery or thriller.

**Title: A Review with 3.5 Stars**

This product/service has received a rating of 3.5 stars.

It has several aspects that are worth noting. On one hand, it offers certain features and qualities that are quite satisfactory. The design is appealing and user-friendly, making it easy for customers to interact with. The functionality is also decent, fulfilling most of the basic requirements.

However, there are a few areas where it could be improved. The performance could be enhanced to make it more efficient and faster. Additionally, the customer service could be more responsive and helpful.

Overall, despite its flaws, this product/service still has its merits and can be considered a viable option for those who are looking for something in this category. With a few improvements, it has the potential to receive an even higher rating in the future.

3.5 stars is a respectable score, indicating that it has both good points and areas for growth.

Feeling generous with my 3.75 stars.

Turning to another short piece by Stephen King, I was immediately drawn in. King's writing can be so diverse, and I wasn't sure what to expect. But this mystery had me hooked from the start, as laid-back as a Maine summer's day.

Stephanie McCann is a journalism intern in a small Maine community, working with Vince Teague and Dave Bowie. She wants to learn the ins and outs of small-town reporting and find a story of her own. There's an incident at the church picnic that left some dead, but Teague and Bowie don't have much to offer. However, there's one unsolved case that intrigues Stephanie.

Back in 1980, two high school kids found a body on the beach with a hunk of meat in the throat. The victim was identified as James Cogan, a Colorado businessman. But no one knows how or why he ended up on the East Coast. Stephanie tries to come up with her own theory, while the two old journalists help fill in the gaps.

King does a great job of keeping the reader guessing. The story is well-written, with short chapters and good momentum. The characters are decent, although not fully developed. This novella is a great filler piece for King fans, without the gore or intense chills of some of his other works.

Kudos, Mr. King, for a nice novella that passed the time during my busy weekend.

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A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

A light, quick, and entertaining read is a wonderful thing. It can transport you to different worlds, introduce you to interesting characters, and provide a much-needed escape from the daily grind.

Whether it's a short story, a humorous essay, or a fast-paced novel, these types of reads are perfect for those moments when you want to unwind and have some fun.

They don't require a huge investment of time or mental energy, yet they can still leave a lasting impression.

You can pick up a light read during your commute, while waiting in line, or before going to bed.

It's a great way to relax and de-stress, and it can also improve your mood and boost your creativity.

So, the next time you're looking for something to read, don't overlook the power of a light, quick, and entertaining read. You might just be surprised at how much you enjoy it.