Ripley Under Ground

In the second of Patricia Highsmith's five Ripley novels, "Ripley Under Ground," it is six years since the Dickie Greenleaf and Freddie Miles homicides. Tom Ripley has settled in France, married moneyed Heloise, and is living comfortably well-off at his county home Belle Hombre with his loyal, supremely capable housekeeper Mme Annette. Tom can never play the straight and narrow; after all he does have a homicidal streak. He is involved in an art forgery scheme originating in London whereby a painter named Bernard is forging new works by the dead painter Derwatt. Tom is also involved in a fencing scheme with a shady character named Reeves Minot who is central in the third novel in the series. Being a dodgy character suits Ripley who enjoys elaborate crooked schemes and the danger of discovery. Ripley's wife doesn't really trust him because she knows about his shady past. An American named Murchison seems to be catching on to the forgeries so Tom has to head him off at the pass. In his home Tom has a real and a forged Derwatt which he shows to Murchison while trying to convince him no forgery is going on. Bernard, the forger, mentally unstable, has pangs of guilt about recreating Derwatts because the renowned painter was Bernard's idol. Bernard's going to spill the beans and wreck the whole scheme. Bernard, whose sanity is in question, sometimes seems saner than Tom. There is always a lot of travel around Europe in a Ripley novel; it adds to the intrigue and the atmosphere of suspense. The detectives in this book are very suspicious of Ripley, but he outwits them by schemes that seem way too complicated. Ripley, always flirting with discovery and detection, unnecessarily invites people to stay in his home who could potentially destroy him. He invites Dickie Greenleaf's cousin to stay, and the guy turns out to be incredibly nosy and intrusive. Highsmith creates unbearable suspense in this way because you never know who is going to unmask him, endanger him. Everybody seems to suspect him because of his shaky background. Ripley is like a moth flying too close to the flame. Tom plays elaborate cat and mouse games which seem to become more complicated, intricate, and audaciously dangerous for him. The problems Ripley has getting rid of a corpse verge on absurdity but add to the suspense. Tom kills people to save himself. He was born to lie, feels comfortable lying, and in playing a role, impersonating people such as Derwatt, and being someone other than himself. In this book Tom adds one more murder to his tally and possibly a second if you count driving a person to suicide a homicide. The story that Tom tells the British police detective at the end of the book is a little too bizarre to be believed. You begin to root for Ripley not to be caught, but his victims don't really deserve death; only his selfish needs compel him to act. There are brilliant touches, sly comments, and details in a Highsmith. This one is a great read.

This sequel to the TALENTED MR. RIPPLEY is just as exciting and suspencful as the the first book. Actually, I read it to find out what happend next after the movie ended, but the book does not serve that purpose. The movie added a kind of cliff-hanger ending that doesn't exist in the TALENTED MR. RIPPLEY book, so the second book won't fill the reader in on that. This book begins a new adventure and series of murders that are equally as gripping as the first book. Readers wondering about he future of Tom's gay life will be disappointed as he is married now, but the author drops a few interesting tid-bits towards the subject of Tom's sexual orientation. Mostly the focus is on Tom's constantly having to get out of serious jams that could send him to prision for life. I loved every page of it and can't wait to read the rest of the series.

"Ripley Under Ground" is the first book in the Ripley series to follow the talented Mr. Ripley. It establishes Tom Ripley as a married man living on a French estate and explains much of his transition from parasitic murderer to suave psychopath. This novel is possibly the most psychological one in the Ripley series since it endows Ripley with a tremendous artistic sensibility that often validates his homicidal choices.In this novel, Ripley has evolved from a sponger and a drifter to a country gentleman. In true aristocratic fashion, he shuns professional life and devotes his energy to painting, gardening, language study, and--well--forgery. Ripley plays a pivotal role in setting up a forgery ring in England that produces the work of a dead painter whom the world believes is still alive. Unfortunately, an art aficionado discovers some of the forgeries and begins an investigation that threatens to expose the ring. In an effort to validate the forgeries, Ripley disguises himself as the dead painter and holds a press conference. The investigator attends the conference but remains unconvinced. As a result, Ripley (in his own guise) invites him to his estate and subsequently murders him. This puts Ripley in an ironic predicament since the police approach him not only in search of the missing investigator, but also in search of the dead painter who, thanks to Ripley's impersonation, they believe is still alive. To complicate matters more, the forger himself appears at Ripley's estate in a state of agitation ready to confess his crime to the world. Somehow Ripley must avoid incrimination, subdue the distraught forger, and prevent the police from searching for the dead painter whom he inadvertently brought back to life.The most fascinating aspect of this novel is the artistic sensibility that seems to govern Ripley's homicidal choices. For example, the investigator whom Ripley murders is more concerned with commercial authenticity than artistic value. He ignores Ripley's argument that the successful forger is as great as the artist he imitates and retorts that building a reputation on forgery is like stealing another person's bank account. When Ripley murders him, one wonders if he does so out of artistic revolt rather than self-preservation. This idea is reinforced by Ripley's refusal to kill the forger even after the forger attempts to murder him. Despite the enormous danger posed by the forger, Ripley is affectionate and nurturing toward him.Is this thriller really an assault on middle class values? I think so. Ripley the art connoisseur loves his forged paintings and his genuine ones equally. Unlike the investigator, he feels no need to distinguish between them as long as they are of the same aesthetic caliber. While Ripley despises the business concerns of his forgery partners, he admires the forger who paints for passion rather than profit.Equally as interesting is the attitude of Ripley's wife. Ripley confesse

My second experience with Mr. Ripley was even better than the first! I really enjoyed the plot twists and discovering how Tom gets himself out of those difficult situations. The end left a bit of a cliffhanger, so I am anxious to read the next installment. I strongly recommend Ripley Under Ground if you enjoyed The Talented Mr. Ripley.

Tom Ripley has aquired a beautiful wife and a lovely home in the French countryside. As Tom's life can never be without conflict, Tom finds himself caught in the middle of a forgery scandal that could destroy the world he has made for himself. We find Mr Ripley a little older, a little wiser and a little more sure of his ruthless capabilities. The Author, Patrica Highsmith, stretched the lines of plausibility on this one just a little, but then again we are talking about the ever scheming Thomas Ripley.