The Talented Mr. Ripley

I go in and out of obsession with the irascible crime novelist Patricia Highsmith. In her first Ripley book, we are introduced to an amoral but likable American character who journeys between Rome, Palermo, and Naples, trying to outrun his modest and murderous past.

The cities he encounters are dazzling, filled with old villas and beautiful things representing his new, forged identity.

Ripley is iconic, with multiple film adaptations, including a very good current series on Netflix that takes a few liberties with the original book yet makes it work well.

The book is a perfect example of how a talented writer can create a “slow burn” via a character that grows more compelling, even as their true evil is unmasked.

Tom Ripley’s obsession with Dickie Greenleaf is so fascinating because it’s real but completely disturbing. I love this book because of Tom and Dickie, two characters who are loveable and hateable at the same time. The first half flew by on account of the setting–France, Italy, summer–it made me feel like I was there enjoying a European holiday with our protagonists. The second half turned everything on its head, and I was exhilarated and terrified all at once.

This story details love manifesting into a disturbing obsession, and this is a particularly interesting topic to explore. I loved the pace… show more.

I could probably have picked any novel by Patricia Highsmith, but this one checks several boxes for me personally. I love novels that explore the minds of anti-heroes and aren’t afraid of going into their deepest, darkest thoughts. Of course, there are others who do this particularly well. Jim Thompson is outstanding for his portrayal of actual psychopaths who are unlikely protagonists.

Highsmith walks a fine line between creeping me out completely and tapping into my most disturbing fears without losing my compassion altogether. As an author myself, I know how hard that is to achieve, and Highsmith remains a… show more.

It’s easy to root for a superhero or an underdog. Highsmith sets a high bar for herself by introducing one of the least appealing anti-heroes I’ve ever encountered and daring us to care about him. Tom has nothing to recommend him. He’s not talented at all. He’s certainly not cool. Mostly, he’s lazy, scared, and selfish, and he does some terrible things.

The book is a master class in manipulating audience sympathy. I found myself rooting for this narcissistic dork while the pages flew by.

A Classic. I have read it three times. I would read it a fourth time. It's a beautifully crafted book. The writing is masterful. As a writer, I can’t get enough.

Set in the most beautiful places in Italy. This book transports you to another time. It’s a delicious read. If you have not read it, you must. If you have read it,  you must reread it; like a fine wine, it only becomes better. 

My brief career as a mystery writer happened to coincide with my son’s years a preschooler. What luck!

Quietly bumping off imaginary people was the perfect complement to keeping calm with a screaming toddler. There’s a reason people read murder mysteries, and it isn’t because we can’t imagine ever wanting to kill someone. (My son survived.)

In this classic psychological thriller, Highsmith lets us know from the jump that her “talented” protagonist is a thief and a liar. Things go swiftly downhill from there, on their way to far worse crimes, but Highsmith’s prose and her pacing are so perfect,… show more.

I always avoided reading Patricia Highsmith because I thought her writing would be too smart for me. Frankly, I was intimidated. I was right about the level of intelligence she employs to confidently tell a story and unravel her characters, but her writing is accessible. It’s not heavy prose—in fact, she has a light touch while building the layers of a character study.

This is a book with a lot to say about its characters, and I was dragged into their worlds and misdeeds and dreams. It was a weird sensation to root for Ripley since he’s a sociopath, but… show more.

Fabulous writing and a very disturbing tale. Our protagonist leaves an unfulfilling stint in his life to try another in France, narrating along the way his foibles, fears, and hopes. But we don’t know his backstory or who he is, only what he decides to tell us.

At points the reader watches helplessly as the protagonist does things of a highly questionable nature. His morality is fluid, creative, and twisted. By the end I was aghast. I had heard that this book started a number of trends in mystery fiction, and now I see why.

I was immersed and fascinated… show more.

Tom Ripley, the original sociopath upon whom many other literary characters are based, is both a sycophant and a social climber, eager to scale the heights of society at any cost, even murder.

His dubious sexual orientation coupled with his devil-may-care attitude leaves both the characters and the reader always guessing about his next move until it’s too late. I never saw the movie, but I enjoyed the book with its twists and turns in an era long before DNA, surveillance cameras, and forensics made catching criminals a lot easier.

Ripley is a chameleon and a charmer. Man or woman,… show more.