Jack Ritchie

John George Reitci (February 26, 1922 – April 25, 1983) was an American writer, primarily known for his vast output of crime fiction short stories under the pen name Jack Ritchie. He completed one novel shortly before his death; it was published posthumously in 1987.

Personal life

Early life Jack Ritchie was born in a room behind his father's tailor shop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on February 26, 1922. After attending Boys Technical High School, Ritchie enrolled at the Milwaukee State Teachers College for two years. During the Second World War, he enlisted or was drafted into the United States Army in 1942 and was stationed in the Central Pacific for two years, serving for much of that period on the island of Kwajalein. It was here that he first discovered crime and mystery fiction. To pass the time, he read many mystery books and it was through this that he grew to love the genre. According to Ritchie, to gauge his talent, he decided to spend a year writing fifty stories, submitting one per week, and if none of them sold, he would give up on being an author. The eighth story was sold, cementing his career as a writer. it was followed by a series of historical adventure novels for children. The couple made their living from the combined income of their freelance writing, though Jack Ritchie stated that they never collaborated on any of their stories.

Ritchie and his wife lived in various Milwaukee locales throughout the 1950s. Their first home together was a secluded log cabin on Washington Island.

Death Shortly after completing his only novel, Tiger Island, Jack Ritchie died of a heart attack at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Milwaukee. Ritchie was given a private, military funeral in Milwaukee on April 27, 1983.

Career Short stories

Jack Ritchie was a prolific writer of short stories, published in an extraordinary variety of periodicals and newspapers. His first published story was "Always the Season", which ran in the December 29, 1953 issue of the New York Daily News. He contributed several "hard-boiled" detective and crime fiction stories to Manhunt magazine throughout the 1950s; other stories appeared in such diverse publications as The Philadelphia Inquirer, Stag, New York Daily Mirror, Smashing Detective Stories, and Good Housekeeping. Ultimately, Ritchie published well over 500 stories.

Ritchie's prolific output to many publications can be attributed to his lifelong agent, Larry Sternig, who would promptly send out manuscripts whenever a new publication appeared on the scene. However, Ritchie sold more stories to Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine than any other periodical: 123 stories over a period of 23 years, 1959–1982. One of these tales, "The Green Heart", was adapted by director/star Elaine May into the cult movie classic A New Leaf co-starring Walter Matthau. "The Green Heart" was also adapted into a musical by Charles Busch and Rusty Magee in 1997. Other stories from AHMM were used in the popular television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Nearly all of Ritchie's stories have been reprinted in periodicals and anthologies, with one story, "For All the Rude People", being re-published 12 times. both of whom would feature in some of Ritchie's best known stories. More television adaptations followed, with several stories serving as the basis for episodes of the show Tales of the Unexpected. One of Ritchie's stories, "The Absence of Emily", which won the Edgar Award in 1982, has been filmed twice. Throughout the 1970s, Ritchie continued to contribute stories to various publications, most often to Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. Ritchie was also a lifelong member of the Council for Wisconsin Writers, from which he won three awards for his short fiction. The Adventures of Henry Turnbuckle (1987), After his death, new stories continued to be published posthumously, the most recent being "The Fabricator", which appeared in the May, 2009 issue of the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine.

Novel Ritchie's only novel, Tiger Island, was published in 1987, four years after his death.

Reception Several prominent editors and authors in the mystery field who have praised Ritchie include Alfred Hitchcock, Donald E. Westlake, Anthony Boucher, Francis M. Nevins Jr., and Edward D. Hoch. Westlake said he was "a brilliant man in the wrong pew, a miniaturist in an age of elephantiasis". Boucher praised his "exemplary neatness. No word is wasted, and many words serve more than one purpose."