“Cardula and the Locked Rooms,” the fine collection of Jack Ritchie’s crime and mystery stories featuring his private eye character Cardula is out now from Crippen & Landru and it is well worth the wait. Featuring all of Ritchie’s stories about the P.I. who prefers to be a night stalker of the dark shadows, Cardula narrates the tales in the first-person with plenty of Ritchie’s trademark humor.

Ritchie never reveals much about his P.I. protagonist but drops some broad and clever hints, such as this from “The Return Of Cardula.”

“I had arrived at my office at nine p.m.

I closed the window against the night air, hung up my cape, and proceeded to unlock the door to my waiting room.”

The first of the stories, “Kid Cardula,” which opens the collection is not narrated by Cardula, nor is he a private investigator. Cardula, needing money, is an aspiring boxer and the tale is told by “Manny,” the promoter to whom the vam…I mean, the boxer presents himself. Like the rest of the stories in the series it is great fun.

The collection is rounded-out with several more of Ritchie’s fine stories, these featuring seemingly “impossible crimes.” Including one with his other series detective Henry Turnbuckle.

Longtime Milwaukee residents will probably recognize city landmarks and streets scattered throughout the book; Ritchie was a lifelong resident of the city.

Add to this a wonderfully informative introduction about Ritchie, his career and the stories by the book’s editor Brian Skupin. And the cover illustration by Joshua Luboski, which leaves little doubt that Cardula is not a man to be trifled with.

Oh hell. Just get the book. Read it. Enjoy it. It’s Jack Ritchie. Like his character Cardula, a man of singular power…

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Here’s a link to Crippen & Landru: https://crippen-and-landru.myshopify.com/products/cardula-and-the-locked-rooms