As the new Ripley series on Netflix continues to bring in stellar reviews, you may have found yourself wondering who created this enigmatic character. He was created by author Patricia Highsmith in The Talented Mr. Ripley, her fourth book.
It launched the only series she ever wrote, spanning five novels that covered Thomas Ripley’s sociopathic life. She wrote numerous books, her debut was adapted by Alfred Hitchcock, and owes her start in a way to Truman Capote. Here’s everything you need to know about Patricia Highsmith’s career.
Who is Patricia Highsmith?
Born January 19, 1921, Patricia Highsmith’s road to becoming a novelist began when her grandmother taught her to read at an early age. ]
From there, she devoured the books in her grandmother’s extensive library over the course of her childhood. Highsmith attended Barnard College, studying English composition, short stories, and playwriting.
After graduating in 1942, she struggled to find a job as a writer and eventually was admitted into Yaddo artist’s retreat in 1948 on the recommendation of Truman Capote. The retreat was where she wrote the novel that eventually became her debut.
Highsmith’s life was complicated, and while that led to brilliant novels filled with mischievous and devious characters, it was less glamorous in reality.
Many saw her as cold and unfeeling, while others attributed that distance to the depression that plagued her throughout her life. She suffered from various health problems before succumbing to lung cancer in 1995.
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How Many Books Did Patricia Highsmith Write?
While her most popular books revolve around the charming psychopath Tom Ripley, Patricia Highsmith actually had an extensive catalog. Over the course of her career, Patricia Highsmith wrote twenty-two fiction novels and dozens of short stories.
The latter were collected and published in eight collections, with another two published posthumously. She also wrote a children’s book with Doris Sanders and a nonfiction book on plotting suspenseful fiction.
Her debut novel, Strangers on a Train, caught Alfred Hitchcock’s eye and he adapted it as a film the following year. That same obsession to translate her words into visual piece of art continued throughout her career, leading to many of her books being adapted for the screen—many multiple times.
Best Patricia Highsmith Books
With so many books under her belt, it can be a daunting task deciding where to dive in. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here are seven of Patricia Highsmith’s best novels.
The Talented Mr. Ripley
The first in a five-book series, Tom Ripley is probably Highsmith’s most popular character. We meet Tom as he’s attempting to build a new life. He’s hired by a wealthy industrialist to collect his gallivanting son, Dickie Greenleaf, back from Italy.
But when he arrives, he’s taken with the life Dickie leads, especially the attention of American debutante, Marge, whom Dickie seems to take for granted. Tom could be Dickie in another life, under different circumstances. In fact, maybe Tom could be Dickie in this one, too.
Deep Water
Vic and Melinda Van Allen are in a loveless marriage. But they stay together for the family. Oh, and the agreement that Melinda can take as many lovers as she wants as long as she stays. It avoids a messy divorce, but does it protect anyone?
Even a man as tolerant as Vic has his limits. Vic wants his wife back. So, he devises a plan. He’ll tell a story, a small little piece of fiction, where he’s the culprit of murder. Except, then it comes true.
The Price of Salt
Originally published under a pseudonym, The Price of Salt quickly became a cult classic. The story revolves around Therese Belivet, an unsatisfied stage designer who works retail during the day. When housewife Carol Aird comes in to the department store to buy her daughter a toy, Therese has an erotic epiphany.
As she stalks Carol, she learns she’s as dissatisfied in her marriage as Therese is in her work. Captivated by the promise of something new, the two women fall in love and set off to find happiness away from their lives.
But Carol’s husband isn’t willing to let her go. With a PI following their trail, Carol is soon given an ultimatum: her lover or her daughter.
Strangers on a Train
Guy Haines is a successful architect. He has nothing in common with fellow passenger Charles Anthony Bruno. When the smooth-talking Bruno offers a sadistic plan for Bruno to kill Haines’ wife in exchange for Haines to murder Bruno’s father, Haines doesn’t think he’s serious. After all, who would agree to an outrageous scheme of murder. But when Bruno carries out his end of the bargain, Haines is suddenly trapped in a deadly game. What began as an unthinkable proposition warps into a horrifying trap. And Haines is quickly learning what seemingly ordinary men can be capable of.
The Cry of the Owl
Robert Forester was a decent, albeit depressed, man. So what if he enjoyed watching Jenny through his kitchen window? It was harmless. But as he is drawn further into his life, he becomes an unwitting bystander in a series of deaths.
And the recriminations of his deviant pastime mark him as a suspect, and to many in the small Pennsylvania town, guilty. His obsession with a pretty young woman leads him right into the heart of danger.
The only question is how he can escape, or if he even wants to.
Those Who Walk Away
It’s tragic when a marriage ends. Even more tragic when it ends during the honeymoon. But when the bride takes her own life and the groom is shot by the grieving father, tragedy turns into catastrophe.
Ray Garrett barely survives the gunshot, but when he heals, he follows his father-in-law to Venice. There, the two begin a game of cat-and-mouse, one set on vengeance, the other righteousness.
Each man is both hunted and hunter, inflictors and victims of violence. And with each encounter, they both inch towards death.
The Tremor of Forgery
Lauded as her best novel by The New Yorker, we find ourselves in Tunisia in the mid-1960s.
Howard Ingham is an American writer. His travels abroad are a bit unusual. He’s to collect material for a sordid movie too risqué to be filmed in America.
At first, Howard thinks nothing of leaving his girlfriend in New York.
But then she fails to respond to his increasingly aggravated letters and the filmmaker who hired him never arrives. To keep himself occupied, Howard tries to write only to find himself ensnared in a series of peculiar local events.
As a murder is ignored, a corpse goes missing, and someone broadcasts secrets to the Soviets, Howard suddenly finds his already fragile morality is being tested.
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Patricia Highsmith Movies
Patricia Highsmith’s novels have been adapted numerous times and in several languages.
Her nuanced characters are delightfully complicated, giving screenwriters, actors, and directors an intriguing playground to frolic in.
If you’ve been curious about which adaptations to start with, here are the top movies based on Patricia Highsmith novels based on viewer reviews.
Strangers on a Train (1951)
The original Hitchcock adaptation based on Highsmith’s debut is a must-watch for any fan.
Starring Farley Granger as Haines and Robert Walker as Bruno, the duo escalate the tension to incredible heights as the two characters struggle to free themselves from the deadly game they’re trapped in.
Purple Noon (1960)
Originally titled Pleín Soleíl, this French film is the first film to bring Tom Ripley to life.
In this version Dickie is Phillipe, but the rest of the characters remain the same. Alain Delon embodies the captivating presence of hypnotic Ripley.
We can’t help but fall into his trap, willingly and entirely, and even when he commits atrocious acts of violence, it’s impossible to look away.
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
This is the version of Tom Ripley most modern viewers are most acquainted with.
The all-star cast brings nuance and depth to each character, adding a delicious psychological tension that doesn’t stop. We want to forgive Dickie (Jude Law) his sins, ache for Marge’s (Gwyneth Paltrow) torment, and drown in Ripley’s (Matt Damon) want.
Ripley is complicated and compelling, the perfect update to Highsmith’s most popular character.
Carol (2015)
Cate Blanchett stars as the titular Carol, drawing aspiring photographer Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara) into an affair.
The film captures the atmosphere of 1950s New York and just how challenging their relationship would be. This is a story about love torn by conflicting loyalties.
Topped with a superb soundtrack and highlighted with sparse dialogue, Carol is movie that crawls deep into your psyche and doesn’t let go.
The American Friend (1977)
Based on the third Ripley novel, Ripley’s Game, The American Friend follows a middle-aged Ripley (Dennis Hopper) engaged in selling forged art who talks a terminally ill picture framer (Bruno Ganz) into committing murder.
The murder adds tension, but the heart of the story is focused on two men lost in different ways who are forced to depend on each other for a brief moment in time.
The Two Faces of January (2014)
The chemistry between Oscar Isaac, Viggo Mortenson, and Kirsten Dunst propels this film into a tension-laden film that will have you crawling up the walls as every scene escalates.
The Two Faces of January may be one of Highsmith’s lesson-known novels, but if you watch this movie, it will become a story that’s impossible to forget.
Ripley’s Game (2002)
Where Dennis Hopper gave the older Ripley a bit of humanity, John Malkovich embodies the cold bitterness of an aged sociopath.
He may not be as young or athletic, but he is no less dangerous. Whether it's discussing art or engaging in acts of violence, the calm, stoic performance reminds us why we fell in love with this character while also warning us of his absolute danger.
Patricia Highsmith Books In Order
If you’ve been unsure where to start, here are all of Patricia Highsmith’s books in order of publication date and sorted into her standalone novels, Ripley quintet, short story collections, and other notable works.
Patricia Highsmith's Standalone Novels:
Strangers on a Train (1950)
The Price of Salt (1952)
The Blunderer (1954)
Deep Water (1957)
A Game for the Living (1958)
The Sweet Sickness (1960)
The Cry of the Owl (1962)
The Two Faces of January (1964)
The Glass Cell (1964)
A Suspension of Mercy (1965)
Those Who Walk Away (1967)
The Tremor of Forgery (1969)
A Dog’s Ransom (1972)
Edith’s Diary (1977)
People Who Knock on the Door (1983)
Found in the Street (1986)
Small g: a Summer Idyll (1995)
Ripley Novels:
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955)
Ripley Under Ground (1970)
Ripley’s Game (1974)
The Boy Who Followed Ripley (1980)
Ripley Under Water (1991)
Short Story Collections:
Eleven (1970)
Little Tales of Misogyny (1975)
The Animal Lover’s Book of Beastly Murder (1975)
Slowly, Slowly in the Wind (1979)
The Black House (1981)
Mermaids on the Golf Course (1985)
Tales of Natural and Unnatural Catastrophes (1987)
Chillers (1990)
Nothing That Meets the Eye: The Uncollected Stories (2002)
Under a Dark Angel’s Eye: The Selected Stories of Patricia Highsmith (2021)
Other Books:
Miranda the Panda Is on the Veranda with Doris Sanders (1958)
Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction (1966)
Patricia Highsmith: Her Diaries and Notebooks, 1941–1995 (2021)
