Reading order · 5 books · 1955 to 1991 · Set in the fictional Villeperce, France
Tom Ripley Books in Order
Tom Ripley is charming, amoral and almost always gets away with it. He kills his way into a comfortable life at Belle Ombre, his house near Fontainebleau, and lives there as a gentleman, with his wife Héloïse, while his past keeps catching up with him.
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Series facts
- Books
- 5
- Published
- 1955 to 1991
- First book
- The Talented Mr. Ripley
- Latest
- Ripley Under Water (1991)
- Setting
- Set in the fictional Villeperce, France
The reading order
Every Tom Ripley book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
5 books · Set in the fictional Villeperce, France
- 1The Talented Mr. Ripley1955With Tom RipleyTom Ripley, a young con man in New York, is paid by a wealthy shipbuilder to go to Italy and persuade his son, Dickie Greenleaf, to come home.Buy on Amazon
- 2Ripley Under Ground1970With Tom RipleyTom Ripley lives a comfortable life near Fontainebleau, but he is involved in a scheme to sell forged paintings by a dead artist, and an American collector is starting to ask questions.Buy on Amazon
- 3Ripley’s Game1974With Tom Ripley and Jonathan TrevannyAnnoyed by a slight from a picture framer, Jonathan Trevanny, who is seriously ill, Tom suggests him to an acquaintance looking for a hired killer.Buy on Amazon
- 4The Boy Who Followed Ripley1980With Tom RipleyA teenage American runaway, the son of a dead tycoon, turns up at Belle Ombre looking for work as a gardener, and Tom sees something of himself in the boy.Buy on Amazon
- 5Ripley Under Water1991With Tom RipleyAn American couple move into the village near Belle Ombre and start digging into Tom’s past.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read in order, starting with The Talented Mr Ripley.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Tom Ripley | Jonathan Trevanny | Héloïse Ripley | Madame Annette | Dickie Greenleaf | Jeff Constant and Ed Banbury | Reeves Minot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 The Talented Mr. Ripley | LLead | MMajor | |||||
| 2 Ripley Under Ground | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 3 Ripley’s Game | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 4 The Boy Who Followed Ripley | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||||
| 5 Ripley Under Water | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor |
Characters in the Tom Ripley books
12 characters from Patricia Highsmith’s chart, with the number of Tom Ripley books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Tom RipleyCon man and murderer who lives as a gentleman in France | 5 | The Talented Mr. Ripley 1955 |
| Jonathan TrevannyPicture framer drawn into murder | 1 | Ripley’s Game 1974 |
| Héloïse RipleyTom’s French wife | 4 | Ripley Under Ground 1970 |
| Madame AnnetteHousekeeper at Belle Ombre | 4 | Ripley Under Ground 1970 |
| Dickie GreenleafWealthy American living in Italy | 2 | The Talented Mr. Ripley 1955 |
| Jeff Constant and Ed BanburyPartners in the Derwatt forgeries | 2 | Ripley Under Ground 1970 |
| Reeves MinotFence and acquaintance of Tom | 2 | Ripley’s Game 1974 |
| Marge SherwoodDickie’s friend | 1 | The Talented Mr. Ripley 1955 |
| Freddie MilesDickie’s friend | 1 | The Talented Mr. Ripley 1955 |
| Bernard TuftsPainter who forges Derwatt’s work | 1 | Ripley Under Ground 1970 |
| Frank PiersonAmerican teenager on the run | 1 | The Boy Who Followed Ripley 1980 |
| David PritchardAmerican neighbour who digs into Tom’s past | 1 | Ripley Under Water 1991 |