Given my background in crime writing, it’s amazing I’ve gone this far in life without reading Patricia Highsmith. I’m happy to correct that mistake now. This book is a simple, straightforward anti-hero character study about a guy who’s doing everything he can to get away with murder. It’s a pure joy to read, seasoned with intellectually healthful themes and moving along at a brisk, consumable pace.
This is the type of tale that Dostoyevsky and Elmore Leonard would have come up with if they’d worked together (and if Leonard had final say on the last draft). Ripley is evil, but he’s also a source of intelligence and humor. His dark escapades in 1970 France and England are crime writing at its finest, with more meat on the bones than the vast majority of today’s pop crime novels. I can’t wait to dive into Highsmith’s other works.