Back in 2004, then newly minted mystery imprint Hard Case Crime burst onto the scene with a careful blend of sharp new voices and well-loved names. Their initial lineup included Lawrence Block, Max Phillips (also one of the publishers), Max Allan Collins and Erle Stanley Gardner. The following year, they kept pouring it on, with a list that included the first publication anywhere of Stephen King’s The Colorado Kid.
Fourteen years later, Hard Case is bringing King’s novel back to the front of the line with a bright new edition. From a press release:
The new edition – the book’s first ever in the larger trade paperback format – will feature a brand new cover painting by popular Hard Case Crime artist Paul Mann, as well as 20 new interior illustrations by Mann, Mark Edward Geyer (who previously illustrated Stephen King’s The Green Mile, Rose Madder, and Elevation), Mark Summers (who previously illustrated Stephen King’s Joyland for Hard Case Crime), and Kate Kelton (who, in addition to her work as a gallery painter, appeared as an actress in Haven, the television adaptation of THE COLORADO KID).
The book tells the story of two veteran newspapermen and their investigation into the mysterious death of a man on an island off the coast of Maine. How does a man wind up dead on a beach, alone, with no identification, two thousand miles from home? And what does it mean to grapple with questions like that, not knowing if you’ll ever learn the answers?
“From the day I first read the manuscript, I’ve loved this book,” said Hard Case Crime editor Charles Ardai. “It was a privilege to be THE COLORADO KID’s first publisher and it is an honor to get to reintroduce it to readers, ten years later, in this very special new edition.”
You can buy the new edition here.
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