Little Boxes of Bewilderment: Suspense Comedies

I remember reading his stories in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine in elementary school and always being delighted. You could say that the characterization was shallow at times and that he used a great deal of "tough guy" slang and stylized prose but I still found the quirky people in his novellas to be interesting and to make sense in their own way. Many times I thought I'd guessed the ending of his story only to find myself dazzled by yet another twist ending. Full of irony, and sometimes suspense, almost every short story in here is a gem. "For All The Rude People" still remains one of my favorite short stories of all time, and probably made me a much more well-mannered person after reading it. It would certainly be a hit if translated into Japanese. I'd love to see this back in print someday.

price: ok! :-) delivery time: much earlier arrived than expected! :-) condition: not really "good" but still ok :-|

He wrote few or no novels, but if you read Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine in the 1970s, you recognized a master at work. His stories are tight, compact jewels of plotting and wit, and the narrative voice always delights with its dry humor.

I've read another collection of Ritchie's stories, "The Adventures of Henry Turnbuckle," but this has more realistic, engaging, and concise stories, tales that range across the board from light humor to borderline Jim Thompson. The style is simple and straightforward, but the characters have little quirks that make them memorable. Certainly deserves to be in print again.

This collection of Jack Ritchie's short stories is unfortunately out of print, but if you can find a copy I suggest you grab it. "The Killing Philosopher," which may be my favorite in the bunch, is the best use of a really condensed amount of prose I've encountered. It's less than three pages, and it's given me a kick each time I've read it. Not a weak story in the lot. If you like dark comedies or twisted mysteries, give Ritchie a look.