Ripper Short Story

[pardoner]

When I was a boy in 1989, I read a Ripper-related short story in our school library that has stuck with me through the years. I can't remember the exact plot, and I have no idea who authored it. The one distinct thing I remember was the twist at the end, when one of the two protagonists hunting Jack turns out to actually be the Ripper... For some reason, I want to say that the story appeared in a collection either penned by or edited by Alfred Hitchcock; however, I can't seem to find what I'm looking for when I perform a Web search using a combination of Hitchcock, Jack the Ripper, and short story, so it's entirely possible my memory is incorrect.

I've determined the story is NOT "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" by Bloch (although at first that title sounded very familiar).

If anyone knows the title or author of this story, I'd love to know.

Best,
Madison

[Dan Norder]

Hey Madison,

Are you sure it's not Bloch's "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper"? That sounds exactly like the short story, though the novel version may be different. But then I guess the idea is the sort that could have been used in more than one story.

[Chris]

For some reason, I want to say that the story appeared in a collection either penned by or edited by Alfred Hitchcock; however, I can't seem to find what I'm looking for when I perform a Web search using a combination of Hitchcock, Jack the Ripper, and short story, so it's entirely possible my memory is incorrect.

Robert Bloch's "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" does appear in an anthology entitled "Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbinders in Suspense".

[pardoner]

Dan and Chris,

Perhaps I should've researched more closely. The Casebook profile says

Eventually, Bloch's Ripper turns out to be a black magician whose murders are ritual sacrifices to the dark gods who keep him eternally young. Shades of Alistair Crowley?

which threw me when I read it. As I said in my original post, however, the title did sound very familiar. Chris, your confirmation of the Hitchcock connection has me convinced. I'll have to jump on Amazon and see if it's still in print or if I can find a used copy.

Thank you both for the expert sleuthing!