To The Last Page

Whether The Talented Mr Ripley is Highsmith's masterpiece or not is a matter of opinion, but the character of Tom Ripley (running to a further four sequels) certainly rates as one of the greatest creations from an author whose exploration of the criminal mindset is unparalleled in its psychological depth and insight. From the early pages of Tom skulking around the streets of New York expecting to be picked up by the police for petty fraud of an Income Tax office (where he hasn't even cashed any of the cheques he has embezzled) to his actions as a smooth murderer and impersonator in Italy and Europe, the becoming of Tom Ripley is fascinating in its progress. The person tracking Tom down in New York turns out to be Mr Greenleaf, who knows of Tom as an acquaintance of his son Dickie (he hardly knows him in reality). Greenleaf tasks him with travelling south of Naples to an Amalfi village of Mongibello (a fictional village using the ancient name for Mount Etna) to convince his son...