BEST OF MANHUNT 4
Although Ritchie never achieved the kind of name recognition that even lesser authors enjoyed, perhaps because he toiled in mostly one genre and in one format, he still garnered the respect of his peers and the admiration of regular readers of mystery digests.
Ritchie was nominated for three Edgar Awards, winning for his
Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine
story "The Absence of Emily." His stories were selected in
Best Detective Stories of Year
anthologies 21 times over a period of 21 years, beginning in 1961 with his story "Shatter Proof" for
Manhunt
until his death in 1983.
Ritchie's stories appeared in 117 issues of
and in 57 Alfred Hitchcock anthologies. Three television episodes of
Alfred Hitchcock Presents/Hour
were based on his stories and five episodes of
Tales of the Unexpected
, as well one episode of the Canadian television show
The Unforeseen
. His story "The Green Heart," which appeared in
AHMM
, was filmed as
A New Leaf
, an Elaine May film starring Walter Matthau.
-Jeff Vorzimmer from his Introduction