Saturday, March 17, 2007

The Colorado Kid – Stephen King


Some authors don’t need a new plug, but they get them anyway because they continue to be read. Some publishers do deserve a plug because they make a special contribution to the publishing world. Stephen King is one of those authors, and Hard Case Crime is one of those publishers.

Hard Case has not yet sold out to the greedy-fisted publishing houses that dominate the market today, but pledges to bring you the best of the best that the world of hard-boiled crime fiction has to offer. In their mission, the good people at Hard Case have sought out classics that deserve to have another publishing run and mingled them with new stories from the best writers in the business.

The Colorado Kid is not necessarily King’s best effort, but he shows why he is considered one of the most widely-read wordsmiths in the business. Two ancient newspapermen take the time to share with their young intern the story of a lifetime. It’s a story that has now resolution and therefore can’t be printed. It’s the kind of story that begs to be told, but can’t be. Along the way they teach the young intern all about the real newspaper business, convincing her that she doesn’t want to join a huge paper upon graduation, but instead stay on the island off the coast of Maine to take over the tiny paper there.

As I said, this is not classic King, but it has the markings of becoming a classic in the genre.

—Benjamin Potter, March 2007

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