The Colorado Kid.

THE COLORADO KID. Stephen King. 2006. Read by Jeffrey DeMunn. 3 tapes. 3.75 hrs. Recorded Books. 1-4193-7538-5. $49.75. Vinyl; plot notes. SA

In 1981, two teenagers find a dead man sitting on the beach of a small island off the coast of Maine. The cause of his death and his identity as an out-of-towner from Colorado are ultimately established, but little else. Despite the coroner's finding of no foul play, two journeymen reporters from the tiny local paper are convinced that the man has been murdered, a conviction they hold for 25 years. The novel, in which the reporters, now in their 90s, explain their rationale to a young graduate student interning at their paper, is engaging. It has more to do with the difference between fiction and reality, the nature of investigative journalism, and the way in which an accomplished novelist can create an unverifiable, unsolvable crime than it does with providing answers.

The versatile DeMunn reads in his own voice but lowers it considerably and gravels it up for the dialog, transforming himself magically into a laconic, elderly New England islander. Francine Levitov, New York, NY

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.