Ripley Under Ground (1970)

Fifteen years after the publication of "The Talented Mr Ripley", Patricia Highsmith returns her ambitious con-man to readers in "Ripley Underground", the first of four follow-up mysteries. Tom is married and living outside of Paris now, six years following the events of the first novel, and enjoying the quiet life of a wealthy man. His criminality has mellowed since escaping to Greece in the wake of the Dickie Greenleaf affair, characterised by some art forgery and a minor role in a fencing scheme. However, problems ensue for Tom when an American collector hollers "fake!" and starts an investigation. Lies need covered and bodies need buried as Tom is thrown back into the disguise game.

PlotSummary@05:00; PIPES@42:00

Check out our earlier episode on "The Talented Mr Ripley" (04/03/2022) for full author bio and publication history.