The Colorado Kid

by Stephen King
124 pgs

With The Colorado Kid, Stephen King tips his hat to the style and genre of storytelling that he grew up enjoying so much. It’s a short mystery that begins with the body of an unidentified man discovered on a small island off the coast of Maine in 1980. The story is being told years later by two reporters from The Weekly Islander, the small local newspaper that covers the news on the island, to Stephanie McCann, a young intern working for the paper.

The body, which was found by two teenagers before school, is that of a man unknown to anyone on the island. There was no wallet or identification found on him and he apparently died from choking on a piece of meat, which was found half eaten and stuck down his throat. The only clue the police have is a pack of cigarettes, which bears a stamp from the state of Colorado on the bottom, found in his pocket. The investigation that takes place reveals more questions than answers. Questions such as why the man, whom doctors a sure was not a smoker himself, was carrying the pack of cigarettes.

If you’re the type who gets frustrated if every question doesn’t get answered by the end of the book, this book may not be for you. The story is more about the mystery surrounding The Colorado Kid, and the retelling of the case by two old mentors to their young intern.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆