"The Talented Mr. Ripley" is probably one of my favorite novels of all time, so it's not at all surprising that I didn't like the sequel quite as much. It was still quite good though, better than most of the other stuff that I read by far, and also one of the better novels I've read by Highsmith.

I think the thing that made the first better than the sequel was the fact that Ripley wasn't a criminal going in, so we saw him commit the crimes throughout the course of the book with a fresh eye, and the opportunities also came up randomly and sporadically. In this one, he's trying to cover himself in regard to an art forgery scheme he had a small part in, so the crime is already there. The crimes he commits, aside from the general crimes of lying and impersonation, are also no secret when they come up, something else that set it apart from the first.

But Ripley's skill in manipulating people and situations to his advantage is unmatched, and I adore Highsmith's eye for the way people and society function. Ripley has to pass himself off as a deceased artist, and also lie substantially about his activities over a certain stretch of time. He's almost caught by the police several times, and has more to lose in this book now that he has a wife and a good life. The tension is still there, and there is evidence that Ripley fails to cover up, but I still think I enjoyed it more in the first book.

But everything I've mentioned so far isn't really much of a criticism. Anyone who enjoyed the first book will more than likely enjoy this one too, it's just that the first one works a bit better. The situations and crimes in this one are also substantially different, so it's also not more of the same. Ripley's character is what makes both books for me, and his skills and charm are out in full force. He's a criminal that's easy to relate to, a common theme in Highsmith's work. You can sympathize with, or at least understand, everything he does, and the fact that he pulls everything off so successfully is what makes him such a likable character. I do love watching the man work, and will most definitely be reading the other three novels in the series. ( )

Well, lightning don't strike twice, do it? The Talented Mr. Ripley was simply brilliant, a bolt of heaven-sent inspiration...and this sophomore effort, fifteen years in the making, feels like it's a response to requests for more Ripley, more Ripley, from his fans.

It's a fun book to read, don't get me wrong, but it's just...not...there if you know what I mean. Really good writing! Really nicely drawn story! Characters a little bit foreshortened, lacking in a depth that Marge and Dickie and even the tiresome Mr. Miles showed. And Ripley himself is a little more squeamish this time, which frankly made a lot of sense to me as Tom now has a wife and an art collection to defend against intruders like the forger, the copper, and the gallery owners.

I wonder if Highsmith thought this book was the equal of the first one...I recommend this as a delightful fall-fire-with-scotch read. Completists *must* read it. The squeamish should stay far away! The law-and-order types are herewith warned: You'll *hate* this book. ( )

In the second of Highsmith's Ripley novels, our boy Tom is wealthy, married, and living outside Paris. Having little conscience is rewarding, at least in his case. (Actually, I prefer to think of him as extreeeemely practical, even Machiavellian, in his self-interest.) At any rate, dear Tom has gotten himself into a pickle with an art forgery scam and goes to great lengths to preserve his income and his lifestyle, not to mention protect his posterior, as the scheme begins to break apart. Multiple passports, impersonation, and murder, naturally, are involved.

One of the things I find most amusing AND horrifying about Ripley is his constant self-analysis and justification -- how he goes about rationalizing within his head, and then making the case to any other involved parties, that any given unsavory act is merited under the circumstances. The twists and turns he employs to make his crimes seem logical and acceptable are fascinating. This isn't to say he's a master plotter: he seems to act on impulse most of the time; it's the after-the-fact manipulation of events that is truly extraordinary.

I like Ripley in a novel. I would be terrified of him in reality. ( )

The second of the Ripley novels is set six years after the events of "The Talented Mr Ripley".

Ripley is living in a small town near Paris with his French wife, when one of his past scams comes back to haunt him. The painter Derwatt committed suicide in Greece several years ago, and his body was never found, so Ripley suggested to his friends that they should forge his work and carry on selling it through their gallery, while claiming that the artist is living as a recluse in Mexico. Ripley has been receiving a 10% cut of the profits, but now an American collector is claiming that the painting he bought from their gallery is a forgery and his partners in crime ask Ripley to help them to extricate themselves from the mess they have suddenly found themselves in.

Ripley seems to have a charmed life. However clumsily he clears up after his murders and however suspicious the police (among others) might be, he always gets away with it, although I'm not entirely sure how. ( )