The Colorado Kid is a novella by Stephen King published in 2005. Although it has been out for several years, it just now came to my attention when the Syfy Network launched Haven, a weekly TV program loosely – really, really loosely – based on the novella. The first couple of episodes were good enough to get up my curiosity about the book.
The Colorado Kid is a quick read at just 184 pages in small book format, including an explanatory/apologetic/defiant afterward by King. More than most books, The Colorado Kid depends on characterization and story-telling more than story itself. The plot revolves around two older newspapermen, Vince Teague and Dave Bowie, relating the story of a twenty-five-year-old unsolved mystery to their young intern, Stephanie McCann.
King weaves an interesting tale of the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of James Cogan, a stranger from Colorado who had no good reason to be found on a beach in a small town in Maine, much less found dead on a beach in a small town in Maine. I don’t want to give too much away, but I will tell you that the mystery remains unsolved. Unlike Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes books, there is no last minute deduction, no previously overlooked clue at the end of The Colorado Kid.
The enjoyment of The Colorado Kid is in the small town character of the newspapermen telling their tale to their eager young intern. With every “ayuh” and “nawp”, King proudly highlights the small town charm of a Maine Islander that captures the attention of those of us “from away”.
If you’re looking for another terrifying tale from the Master of Horror, you’re going to come away disappointed. Aside from a dead body on the beach, there’s nothing even moderately scary about The Colorado Kid. If your enjoyment of a mystery depends on the cleverness of the solution, this book will disappoint. But if you’re looking for an easy read and a glimpse into an American culture different from anything you’re accustomed to, you may appreciate this deconstruction of the mystery genre.
