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Tiger Island
James Forrest is considering selling his half of the island to Mike Hegan.
But Forrest has not been to the island since he was a small boy; so he returns to decide if he should sell or not.
Now he cannot leave.
And along with eight of Hegan's mysterious friends and family, there is a tiger.
A hungry tiger.
And the tiger isn't the only one killing.
The late Jack Ritchie published over 500 stories. One won the celebrated Edgar Mystery Fiction Award and another was made into a movie starring Walter Matthau and Elaine May. His stories have appeared in 30 anthologies and several have been adapted for television.
But Forrest has not been to the island since he was a small boy; so he returns to decide if he should sell or not.
Now he cannot leave.
And along with eight of Hegan's mysterious friends and family, there is a tiger.
A hungry tiger.
And the tiger isn't the only one killing.
The late Jack Ritchie published over 500 stories. One won the celebrated Edgar Mystery Fiction Award and another was made into a movie starring Walter Matthau and Elaine May. His stories have appeared in 30 anthologies and several have been adapted for television.
180 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1987
14 people want to read
About the author
Jack Ritchie
224 books15 followersJack Ritchie was born in a room behind his father’s tailor shop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on February 26th, 1922. After leaving high school, Ritchie was a student at the Milwaukee State Teachers College. When America joined the Second World War, he enlisted in the U.S army. He 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 a large amount of mystery books and it was through this that he grew to love the genre.
At the end of the war, Ritchie returned to his hometown of Milwaukee. After trying unsuccessfully to go back to college under the G.I. Bill, Ritchie worked for a time in his father’s shop. Not wishing to follow in his father’s footsteps, Ritchie decided to try writing stories for a living. When Ritchie met the literary agent Larry Sternig (through his mother, Irma Reitci, who also wrote short stories) he gave him a copy of a story he had written. Sternig recognised his writing ability from the very beginning and sold Ritchie’s first story, "Always the Season", to the New York Daily News in 1953. Larry Sternig went on to be his lifelong agent.
Ritchie married a fellow writer, Rita Krohne, in 1954. Rita, under her married name, wrote a series of historical adventure novels for children. Among these was the award-winning "Night Coach to Paris". Jack and Rita Ritchie made their living from the combined income of their freelance writing, though in an interview in 1962, Jack Ritchie mentioned that they never collaborated on any of their stories. Ritchie and his wife lived in various Milwaukee locales throughout the 1950's. Their first home together was a secluded log cabin on Washington Island, where during the winter they battled against the elements. With the birth of their first child in 1957, the Ritchies relocated to a larger house on the island. In 1964, they moved back to the mainland, living in a farmhouse just west of Jefferson and raising a family of four children.
In his spare time, Ritchie was an avid reader of non-fiction books and had a particular interest in history. He was also a fan of word puzzles and did the crossword in the Milwaukee Journal religiously.
While his wife took part-time work to supplement the family income, Jack Ritchie continued to be a prolific writer of short stories. Ritchie’s work appeared in an amazing variety of periodicals and newspapers. He contributed a number of "hard-boiled" stories to Manhunt magazine throughout the 1950's with other stories appearing in such diverse publications as The Philadelphia Inquirer, Smashing Detective Stories and Good Housekeeping. Some readers may wonder why Ritchie's stories appeared in such a wide variety of periodicals. The major reason for this was that his agent, Larry Sternig, would promptly send out manuscripts whenever a new publication appeared on the scene. As Jack Ritchie's son Steven has noted, this is what made Sternig a great literary agent. However, it was to Alfred Hitchock's Mystery Magazine that Ritchie sold more stories to than any other periodical. Between 1959 and 1982, Ritchie sold an incredible 123 stories to Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. One of these tales, "The Green Heart", was adapted into the movie "A New Leaf" starring Walter Matthau. Other stories from AHMM were used in the popular television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
As has been noted by author Donald E. Westlake, Ritchie never really gained the recognition he deserved. This was because he wrote in the short story field, as opposed to the more fashionable novels (Tiger Island was published posthumously in 1987). But to his many fans he is seen as one of the greatest short story writers of all time. Those that have discovered his stories invariably want to read more of them. His finest works continue to be reprinted to this day and it is through this legacy that he will be remembered
At the end of the war, Ritchie returned to his hometown of Milwaukee. After trying unsuccessfully to go back to college under the G.I. Bill, Ritchie worked for a time in his father’s shop. Not wishing to follow in his father’s footsteps, Ritchie decided to try writing stories for a living. When Ritchie met the literary agent Larry Sternig (through his mother, Irma Reitci, who also wrote short stories) he gave him a copy of a story he had written. Sternig recognised his writing ability from the very beginning and sold Ritchie’s first story, "Always the Season", to the New York Daily News in 1953. Larry Sternig went on to be his lifelong agent.
Ritchie married a fellow writer, Rita Krohne, in 1954. Rita, under her married name, wrote a series of historical adventure novels for children. Among these was the award-winning "Night Coach to Paris". Jack and Rita Ritchie made their living from the combined income of their freelance writing, though in an interview in 1962, Jack Ritchie mentioned that they never collaborated on any of their stories. Ritchie and his wife lived in various Milwaukee locales throughout the 1950's. Their first home together was a secluded log cabin on Washington Island, where during the winter they battled against the elements. With the birth of their first child in 1957, the Ritchies relocated to a larger house on the island. In 1964, they moved back to the mainland, living in a farmhouse just west of Jefferson and raising a family of four children.
In his spare time, Ritchie was an avid reader of non-fiction books and had a particular interest in history. He was also a fan of word puzzles and did the crossword in the Milwaukee Journal religiously.
While his wife took part-time work to supplement the family income, Jack Ritchie continued to be a prolific writer of short stories. Ritchie’s work appeared in an amazing variety of periodicals and newspapers. He contributed a number of "hard-boiled" stories to Manhunt magazine throughout the 1950's with other stories appearing in such diverse publications as The Philadelphia Inquirer, Smashing Detective Stories and Good Housekeeping. Some readers may wonder why Ritchie's stories appeared in such a wide variety of periodicals. The major reason for this was that his agent, Larry Sternig, would promptly send out manuscripts whenever a new publication appeared on the scene. As Jack Ritchie's son Steven has noted, this is what made Sternig a great literary agent. However, it was to Alfred Hitchock's Mystery Magazine that Ritchie sold more stories to than any other periodical. Between 1959 and 1982, Ritchie sold an incredible 123 stories to Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. One of these tales, "The Green Heart", was adapted into the movie "A New Leaf" starring Walter Matthau. Other stories from AHMM were used in the popular television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
As has been noted by author Donald E. Westlake, Ritchie never really gained the recognition he deserved. This was because he wrote in the short story field, as opposed to the more fashionable novels (Tiger Island was published posthumously in 1987). But to his many fans he is seen as one of the greatest short story writers of all time. Those that have discovered his stories invariably want to read more of them. His finest works continue to be reprinted to this day and it is through this legacy that he will be remembered
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 10, 2018
Jack Ritchie was the author of over three hundred mystery short stories that appeared mainly in US popular mystery magazines from the 1950s through the 1980s. His short stories were almost always excellent, providing a clever story, sharp characterization and often leavened with humorous irony. They continue to appear in anthologies today, but there are no recent collections, the last one, Little Boxes of Bewilderment, appearing in 1989. Tiger Island is his only novel and it was published posthumously in 1987. Ritchie died in 1983, shortly after completing it. There is no introduction to this hard to find first edition from First Class Publishers out of Stevens Point, Wisconsin. There was no paperback edition. I obtained a copy to read via Interlibrary Loan. Hopefully, at some point, there will be a reissue of this book (proofread with an introduction this time) as well as a collection of his finer stories. Ritchie does not deserve oblivion.
A Southeastern US island setting provides the backdrop for this suspense tale of a group of people resolving their life histories. The island itself is an artifact of the Old South, having consisted of a group of cotton plantations which of course over time, fell into disuse. The plot brings together two of the principal owners, one of whom is contemplating selling his portion to the main character, the ruthless and amoral Mike Hegan. Hegan initially wants to own the entire island and turn it into a resort. The proposed sale brings Hegan's family, hired help and acquaintances to the island as well as the potential seller, Forrest. Hegan, unknown to all except for one of Hegan's employees, has shipped two caged tigers to the island, supposedly to eventually hunt them. All the characters except Forrest begin various intrigues and campaigns of manipulation attempting to resolve personal issues. Hegan leaves the island and promptly one of the tigers gets loose and the story unfolds.
Most of the writing involves character history portrayals that reveal the motivations behind the actions of characters, past and present. Often the same events are told from different viewpoints. There is plenty of suspense involved as we wait to see what is going to happen to Hegan. The fates of the other characters are often resolved abruptly and unexpectedly, but these events always ring true and character driven and never appear to be plot contrivances. This novel is primarily the story of what weaker people do to survive (or not) when dominated by more powerful figures. Its ending is typical of Ritchie, fiendishly clever and a total surprise. The multiple back stories related are always intriguing and off-beat and worthy of a Faulkner or a McCullers. Most of the writing is narrative and the dialogue relative sparse, but this dialogue is never trite and provides what humor there is in the book. In sum this book is an unconventional suspense story featuring some odd-ball characters, some of whom have rather startling solutions to their problems.
A Southeastern US island setting provides the backdrop for this suspense tale of a group of people resolving their life histories. The island itself is an artifact of the Old South, having consisted of a group of cotton plantations which of course over time, fell into disuse. The plot brings together two of the principal owners, one of whom is contemplating selling his portion to the main character, the ruthless and amoral Mike Hegan. Hegan initially wants to own the entire island and turn it into a resort. The proposed sale brings Hegan's family, hired help and acquaintances to the island as well as the potential seller, Forrest. Hegan, unknown to all except for one of Hegan's employees, has shipped two caged tigers to the island, supposedly to eventually hunt them. All the characters except Forrest begin various intrigues and campaigns of manipulation attempting to resolve personal issues. Hegan leaves the island and promptly one of the tigers gets loose and the story unfolds.
Most of the writing involves character history portrayals that reveal the motivations behind the actions of characters, past and present. Often the same events are told from different viewpoints. There is plenty of suspense involved as we wait to see what is going to happen to Hegan. The fates of the other characters are often resolved abruptly and unexpectedly, but these events always ring true and character driven and never appear to be plot contrivances. This novel is primarily the story of what weaker people do to survive (or not) when dominated by more powerful figures. Its ending is typical of Ritchie, fiendishly clever and a total surprise. The multiple back stories related are always intriguing and off-beat and worthy of a Faulkner or a McCullers. Most of the writing is narrative and the dialogue relative sparse, but this dialogue is never trite and provides what humor there is in the book. In sum this book is an unconventional suspense story featuring some odd-ball characters, some of whom have rather startling solutions to their problems.
October 12, 2022
A group of people, all related by circumstances, find themselves on an abandoned island off the coast of Georgia, that was once home to two large antebellum plantations.
The group quickly realizes there are dangerous tigers loose on the island, and, as members of the party fall victim to the tigers, the back story of each is revealed in flashbacks that tell how they each came to be on the island. These stories eventually lead to the discovery of how the tigers got there.
The group quickly realizes there are dangerous tigers loose on the island, and, as members of the party fall victim to the tigers, the back story of each is revealed in flashbacks that tell how they each came to be on the island. These stories eventually lead to the discovery of how the tigers got there.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews