A New Leaf: and Other Stories

by Jack Ritchie, Donald E. Westlake (Introduction)

Eighteen different, wonderfully menacing stories by Jack Ritchie.

214 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1971

About the author

Jack 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

Reviews

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of 18 of Jack Ritchie's short stories. At least 95% are very good--if not excellent.

There was a time in my life when I was reading a lot of mysteries and mystery short stories. It was when I was about 25 years old. Since I was thirty I really am not interested in reading mysteries any more in general.

Of all the authors I have read in my life, Jack Ritchie is certainly one of the three best. There are days when I am inclined to say he is the all around best author I have ever read.

He has only written one or two novels. He specializes in short stories. Every word in every one of his short stories counts and is meaningful. There is always a fantastic twist at the end. I would say that at least 95% of his short stories are very good--at least, if not superb.

For anyone who is interested in mystery short stories or superb writing in general, this is definitely the book to read.

[Kurt Reichenbaugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think most, if not all, of the stories in this collection were published in various Alfred Hitchcock anthologies. The earliest one I remember reading as a kid was "For All the Rude People" in one of those Hitchcock paperbacks an older cousin had given me. Just a simple plot, well written and told before it got too long and boring. Ritchie's stories are invariably straight, linear and told with dashes of humor. Words aren't wasted. He eventually became one of the writers I'd look for to read first in the Hitchcock anthologies. Now...all that said, I'm not sure that such stories would have much appeal for the average reader today. They'd likely be regarded as too simple and banal. They're best appreciated by readers who like a little nostalgia in their diet.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twenty-Four Stories from the master of menace, the hard-boiled O’Henry, Jack Ritchie (1922-1983) written between 1958 and 1967. The title story was the basis for the hilarious Elaine May film, A New Leaf (1971), starring Walter Matthau.

[Jeff Kallenbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a youngster I read many issues of the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and one of my favorite authors was Jack Ritchie. His stories always have interesting, wisecracking narrators and twist endings. Always enjoyable.

I did an Amazon search and found this anthology for free on Kindle, and enjoyed it immensely. Recommend.