Beware the charming, social-climbing sociopath! These murderous Machia-vellians are a gift to suspense fiction, as they stop at nothing in their ruthless pursuit of success.When Patricia Highsmith published The Talented Mr. Ripley (Norton. 2008. ISBN 9780393332148) in 1955, she not only surprised readers with a shock-ingly unconventional story but also laid the template for a new kind of antihero, an amoral, two-faced killer whose behavior fascinates as well as repels. Small-time grifter Tom Ripley leaves behind his hardscrabble life when he is paid by a wealthy couple to travel to Italy to keep an eye on their wayward son, Dickie Greenleaf. Ripley is utterly captivated by the idle rich young man and strikes up a friendship. When Dickie draws apart, Ripley takes drastic action that leads to his assuming his friend's identity. No criminal mastermind, Ripley uses quick thinking and audacity to extricate himself from one tight squeeze after another. He may not be admirable, but his determination to achive a better life makes him relatable and even creates a perverse sympathy. READ NEXT: Highsmith continued the story of Tom Ripley in two more novels beginning with Ripley Under Ground.
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