What a delightfully amoral book! I have not read anything like it since Jim Thompson's The Killer Inside Me and Pop. 1280. Tom Ripley is indeed talented, but what is his talent? After reading halfway through The Talented Mr. Ripley, I concluded that it was for finding a likely victim to imitate, imitating him, killing him, and taking over his identity (for a while at least) -- and then fending off all the rather incompetent police and private investigators who question him. (This isn't a spoiler, as it happens fairly early on.)

This is one of those books where you hope the malefactor doesn't get caught because you find yourself pulling for him. There is considerable tension, if only because Ripley is forced to commit a follow-on crime, but he manages to waltz his way through the ensuing firestorm, though not without some anxiety.

Patricia Highsmith's prose is spare and delightfully wicked. Because Tom is who he is, and because we see the action through his eyes, most of the other characters come across as dupes of different varieties, both Italian and American. Notable here is Marge Sherwood, as victim Richie Greenleaf's ex-girlfriend from Mongibello near Naples, who comes tromping around in search of him even when it appears their relationship is over.

The Talented Mr. Ripley is an excellent read which makes me want to read some more Highsmith this year.