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The Hard Case Crime Novels of Stephen King: Later / Joyland / The Colorado Kid
The Complete Hard Case Crime Stephen King Collection, collecting Stephen King's three homages to the classic crime pulp paperbacks, published by Hard Case Crime. This includes The Colorado Kid (2005), Joyland (2013), and his newest novel, Later (2021). It will also feature three exclusive art cards showing a variant cover of each book: the original Glen Orbik cover for The Colorado Kid, the Robert McGinnis limited-edition hardcover cover for Joyland and the Greg Manchess limited-edition hardcover cover for Later.
Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work in a fairground and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever.
A rookie newspaperwoman learns the true meaning of mystery when she investigates a 25-year-old unsolved and very strange case involving The Colorado Kid, a dead man found on an island off the coast of Maine.
Later: the son of a struggling single mother, Jamie Conklin just wants an ordinary childhood. But Jamie is no ordinary child. Born with an unnatural ability, Jamie can see things no one else can. But the cost of using this ability is higher than Jamie can imagine - as he discovers when an NYPD detective draws him into the pursuit of a killer who has threatened to strike from beyond the grave.
Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work in a fairground and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever.
A rookie newspaperwoman learns the true meaning of mystery when she investigates a 25-year-old unsolved and very strange case involving The Colorado Kid, a dead man found on an island off the coast of Maine.
Later: the son of a struggling single mother, Jamie Conklin just wants an ordinary childhood. But Jamie is no ordinary child. Born with an unnatural ability, Jamie can see things no one else can. But the cost of using this ability is higher than Jamie can imagine - as he discovers when an NYPD detective draws him into the pursuit of a killer who has threatened to strike from beyond the grave.
768 pages, Paperback
Published September 14, 2021
10 people are currently reading
438 people want to read
About the author
Stephen King
2,499 books886k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 22, 2021
It was OK… Hard to read , follow .But I understand the ending…
July 28, 2023
I've been trying to get my hands on Joyland since it came out, but every audio copy was always in another language so I was excited to see that Spotify had an english version and I didn't even need to be a premium member to listen. I didn't see this as a ghost story or as a thriller or even a crime drama really. It was just a good story of an older man telling about an event back when he was younger that's stuck with him and made up the tapestry of who he is. My one and only issue was towards the end when Dev was asking Lane (?) about a day in the park. He asked about the flowers, but that wasn't Lane it was Fred, so I had to go back and re-listen to make sure I wasn't mistaken. Poor edit? Just a mistake? An attempt at intrigue? Who knows, but it cost me time while reading/listening, which always annoys me.
June 2, 2023
Meh. Didn’t love it, not much of a thriller or crime.
June 6, 2022
Extremely well written. I love Stephen King, and I was expecting this book to be scary and fit more into the horror genre like his others, but the story runs way deeper than that. Gave me vibes of The Talisman since it takes place on a beach. Was also expecting it to be a bit more supernatural or to further explore people’s “shining” capabilities, or “the sight” as it is referred to in this novel, but overall, it had just enough of everything: suspense, spine-tinglers, humor, romance, and sorrow. The end had me crying. They need to make this into a movie.
May 2, 2021
Awesome book!!! Highly recommend this and hope it gets a film adaption.
May 31, 2022
This box set contains three crime novels from the pen of Stephen King.
The Colorado Kid ~ Not my favorite book from King, but still enormously entertaining. The characters are rich, the mystery compelling. Unfortunately, the ending is … disappointing? Unfulfilling? Certainly less than rewarding. Side note: this book severed as the inspiration, at least in part, for the series Haven (4/5).
Joyland ~ I don't know why I'm surprised when I find myself compulsively reading yet another book from Uncle Stevie. Yeah, this is one of his shorter ones, but I still read like an addict. I also found this to be one of his more satisfying narratives. While I love his epic-length books, there is something to be said for his short stories, novellas and shorter novels. They are tighter and less rambling. This one certainly continues in that vein (5/5).
Later ~ Solidly entertaining. Fast-paced and almost immediately engaging. Definitely one that most readers won’t be able to put down. Absolutely loved it (5/5).
The Colorado Kid ~ Not my favorite book from King, but still enormously entertaining. The characters are rich, the mystery compelling. Unfortunately, the ending is … disappointing? Unfulfilling? Certainly less than rewarding. Side note: this book severed as the inspiration, at least in part, for the series Haven (4/5).
Joyland ~ I don't know why I'm surprised when I find myself compulsively reading yet another book from Uncle Stevie. Yeah, this is one of his shorter ones, but I still read like an addict. I also found this to be one of his more satisfying narratives. While I love his epic-length books, there is something to be said for his short stories, novellas and shorter novels. They are tighter and less rambling. This one certainly continues in that vein (5/5).
Later ~ Solidly entertaining. Fast-paced and almost immediately engaging. Definitely one that most readers won’t be able to put down. Absolutely loved it (5/5).
August 5, 2025
Joyland (Hard Case Crime) - (3.25/5) - I actually really enjoyed this book for its simplicity. Super fun, summer theme park mystery. Its only around 280 pages, and King ambitiously tackled a lot of storylines. The book jumped around A LOT - the introduction of Mike was a bit choppy and I could not keep track of his different relationships and the personalities of the carnies to save my life. Finally, barely was able to distinguish Fred and Eddie by the end of the book. Wish he would have gotten into details of the investigation more. Assuming Eddie Parks was scared of Lane because he knew about the killings? King does this thing where the audience always knows less than the main character, which becomes especially frustrating when he doesn’t reveal the information learned for multiple chapters. Wish the main character wasn’t introduced as such a bitter virgin lol because I actually grew to like him a lot. Loved Erin but could do without her calling sorority girls brainless sluts haha. Devin didn’t seem to develop THAT much in comparison to King’s stronger characters, but super glad he got laid!
January 25, 2023
In his afterword Stephen King supposed that readers would either love or hate this novel. For me, this is an overstatement in both directions. I didn’t hate it, but I sure didn’t love it.
I do love that Stephen King wrote a short, punchy pulp style novel. Not really a mystery, but mysterious. Not a crime novel, but possibly? It’s hard to describe without giving away the whole concept.
And hey, it’s Stephen King. Even when he writes something I don’t really care about he writes it damn well. So there is that.
I do love that Stephen King wrote a short, punchy pulp style novel. Not really a mystery, but mysterious. Not a crime novel, but possibly? It’s hard to describe without giving away the whole concept.
And hey, it’s Stephen King. Even when he writes something I don’t really care about he writes it damn well. So there is that.
November 5, 2021
I have a love/hate relationship with King’s short stories. Mostly because I love the character development so much I want the story to continue on with the character’s life. I get lost in it. The characters end up feeling like friends i know and i build up an imaginary dream scape in my head of where the story is all happening. He described the characters and the scenery so dreamily. Bravo, Stephen King. One of my favorites by you
May 2, 2024
A blend of a coming-of-age story and a murder mystery, with a touch of the magical. As with many King novels, this one was hard to put down. But don’t think Christine, It, or Cujo. Joyland is more a reminiscence of a summer in the narrator’s past than a disturbing, blood-filled horror. Don’t worry, there is blood and some horror, but this is more a nice imagining of the world of the amusement park carnie rounds out the pleasure of the read.
December 1, 2025
Been awhile since I read a King book. It was worth it. Part coming of age and part murder mystery, King brings it with his characters and world building as we get an inside look at carney life and the people who live it.
But it's the journey of our protagonist and the people he comes into contact with, especially one little physically challenged boy and his mother that will get you in the end. It got me.
But it's the journey of our protagonist and the people he comes into contact with, especially one little physically challenged boy and his mother that will get you in the end. It got me.
June 23, 2022
A generous 3, more of a 2.5.
I’m not a Stephen King fan but this was an audio book for a long trip. Worth a try. Or maybe not. The narrator was a bit hard to understand through the car speakers, so there was that. The story (Colorado Kid) was weak but not much bad language and no suspense. A brief gory scene.
Do not understand the pull of Stephen King.
I’m not a Stephen King fan but this was an audio book for a long trip. Worth a try. Or maybe not. The narrator was a bit hard to understand through the car speakers, so there was that. The story (Colorado Kid) was weak but not much bad language and no suspense. A brief gory scene.
Do not understand the pull of Stephen King.
August 8, 2023
An easy read, it held nostalgia and this alone kept me turning the pages. I liked Devlin and I related to his character. I was sad when I finished the book. It certainly wasn’t a page turner but I was left yearning for the good old simplistic days.
November 16, 2021
A most excellant read !
August 13, 2022
La historia como tal no comienza hasta la página 200
October 10, 2022
The Colorado Kid - 2 stars
Later - 5 stars
Joyland - 4.5 stars
Later - 5 stars
Joyland - 4.5 stars
November 29, 2022
Nice quick reads. King's touches were felt all throughout the books.
April 9, 2025
El mejor final que le he leído a Stephen King
July 4, 2025
Popular Horror Author's Ode to the Classic Pulp Noir Crime Stories of His Youth
October 14, 2025
Wow! What a book. I adored this and I’m so glad I I found this little gem hidden in the charity shop. This story will stay with me for a long time!
April 9, 2023
A book you’ll enjoy!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews