Patricia Highsmith Books in Order: Complete Reading Guide
All Patricia Highsmith novels in order — the complete Ripley series and her best standalone thrillers. Where to start, what to read next, and the full chronological list.
Patricia Highsmith spent forty years methodically dismantling the idea that crime fiction is a genre about the defeat of evil. In her novels, the criminal frequently escapes, the innocent are frequently ruined, and the moral distinction between the two — which conventional thriller fiction depends on — is precisely what she puts under pressure. Her greatest creation, Tom Ripley, commits multiple murders across five novels and ends each one in his French garden, undisturbed, playing his harpsichord.
She wrote 22 novels. The five Ripley books form the core of her reputation, but the standalone novels — Strangers on a Train, Carol, Deep Water, Edith’s Diary — are equally essential, and in some cases equally brilliant. This guide arranges them in order and explains where to start.
Quick answer: Start with The Talented Mr. Ripley for the best introduction to her moral universe and her greatest character. Start with Strangers on a Train for her finest standalone and the best place to encounter the psychological machinery she would spend her career elaborating.
The Ripley Series in Order
The five Tom Ripley novels are best read in sequence. Ripley’s circumstances — his house Belle Ombre in rural France, his wealthy wife Héloïse, his art-world connections — accumulate across the series, and the later books reward familiarity with what came before.
| # | Title | Year | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Talented Mr. Ripley | 1955 | Amazon → |
| 2 | Ripley Under Ground | 1970 | Amazon → |
| 3 | Ripley’s Game | 1974 | Amazon → |
| 4 | The Boy Who Followed Ripley | 1980 | Amazon → |
| 5 | Ripley Under Water | 1991 | Amazon → |
1. The Talented Mr. Ripley ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tom Ripley is sent to Italy by a shipping magnate to persuade his son Dickie to come home. Instead, Ripley kills Dickie, assumes his identity, and begins a new life. The most widely read Highsmith novel, the most seductive portrait of her anti-hero, and the best place to begin. Read the full review →
2. Ripley Under Ground ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ripley, now settled at Belle Ombre with Héloïse, is co-running a forged-paintings scheme when an American collector arrives with inconvenient doubts. The art-world setting is perfect for Ripley’s skills. Read the full review →
3. Ripley’s Game ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ripley manipulates a terminally ill picture framer into becoming a hired killer, then unexpectedly becomes his protector. Widely considered the finest novel in the series. Read the full review →
4. The Boy Who Followed Ripley ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A teenage boy who has pushed his father off a cliff appears at Ripley’s door. Ripley takes him to Berlin. The most humanising Ripley novel after Ripley’s Game. Read the full review →
5. Ripley Under Water ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The final Ripley novel: an American couple investigates the disappearance of Dickie Greenleaf, the foundational crime of the series. Elegiac and reflective — a fitting close. Read the full review →
Standalone Novels in Chronological Order
| Title | Year | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Strangers on a Train | 1950 | Best introduction to her moral universe; Hitchcock filmed it |
| Carol | 1952 | Her most personal novel; LGBTQ+ classic; the 2015 film |
| The Blunderer | 1954 | The Double theme at its most concentrated |
| Deep Water | 1957 | Suburban horror; Vic Van Allen is her most chilling protagonist |
| This Sweet Sickness | 1960 | Erotic obsession; the man who refuses to accept reality |
| The Cry of the Owl | 1962 | Kafkaesque — innocence offers no protection |
| The Two Faces of January | 1964 | Greece setting; father-son dynamics; best travel read |
| The Glass Cell | 1964 | Prison; justice; her most socially critical novel |
| Those Who Walk Away | 1967 | Venice in winter; grief and pursuit |
| The Tremor of Forgery | 1969 | Tunisia; existential; her most Camus-like novel |
| Edith’s Diary | 1977 | Her most feminist work; the diary as survival |
All Novels Chronologically
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| Strangers on a Train | 1950 |
| Carol | 1952 |
| The Blunderer | 1954 |
| The Talented Mr. Ripley | 1955 |
| Deep Water | 1957 |
| This Sweet Sickness | 1960 |
| The Cry of the Owl | 1962 |
| The Two Faces of January | 1964 |
| The Glass Cell | 1964 |
| Those Who Walk Away | 1967 |
| The Tremor of Forgery | 1969 |
| Ripley Under Ground | 1970 |
| Ripley’s Game | 1974 |
| Edith’s Diary | 1977 |
| The Boy Who Followed Ripley | 1980 |
| Ripley Under Water | 1991 |
What to Read After Highsmith
For the psychological doubling and moral contamination: Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, Patricia Cornwell’s Scarpetta series, or Donna Tartt’s The Secret History. For European crime fiction with literary ambitions: our guides to books about Italy and books about Greece include several novels in the Highsmith tradition.
For the full Patricia Highsmith bibliography, reviews, and biography, visit the Patricia Highsmith author page on Editors Reads.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Patricia Highsmith book to start with?
The Talented Mr. Ripley is the best starting point for almost all readers — it introduces her greatest character and her characteristic moral universe in a tightly plotted, irresistible novel. Strangers on a Train is the best alternative for readers who want a standalone rather than a series beginning.
Do the Ripley novels need to be read in order?
The Ripley series is best read in order, since Ripley's situation — his house in France, his wife, his art-world connections — builds across all five novels. However, each book tells a self-contained story, and many readers begin with Ripley's Game (the third) because it is widely considered the finest entry.
How many books did Patricia Highsmith write?
Patricia Highsmith wrote 22 novels and several short story collections over a career spanning from 1950 to her death in 1995. Her most famous works are the five Ripley novels and Strangers on a Train.
Is Carol by Patricia Highsmith a thriller?
No — Carol (originally published as The Price of Salt in 1952) is a love story, not a thriller. It is Highsmith's most personal and atypical novel: a realistic account of a relationship between two women in 1950s New York, remarkable for its time because it ends happily. The 2015 film with Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara closely follows the novel.
