Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Bookish Wisdom earns from qualifying purchases. This doesn't change our picks or your price.
Quick answer: If you liked The Talented Mr. Ripley, read the sequel Ripley Under Ground, then try Strangers on a Train, The Secret History, The Collector and Codename Villanelle. All feature charming killers, hidden desires and chilling character studies.
Patricia Highsmith's 1955 novel follows Tom Ripley, a young con man who slides into a rich man's life. It is a study of identity and moral emptiness rather than a whodunit. The books below share that cold, character-driven suspense. All are adult fiction, and all are real, in-print books.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ripley Under Ground | Patricia Highsmith | Adult | the next Ripley |
| Ripley's Game | Patricia Highsmith | Adult | third Ripley book |
| Strangers on a Train | Patricia Highsmith | Adult | classic suspense |
| The Price of Salt | Patricia Highsmith | Adult | different Highsmith |
| The Secret History | Donna Tartt | Adult | dark academia |
| The Collector | John Fowles | Adult | obsession thrillers |
| A Judgement in Stone | Ruth Rendell | Adult | murder study |
| Notes on a Scandal | Zoë Heller | Adult | unreliable narrators |
| Brighton Rock | Graham Greene | Adult | crime and guilt |
| Perfume | Patrick Süskind | Adult | dark obsession |
| The Picture of Dorian Gray | Oscar Wilde | Adult | charming corruption |
| Rebecca | Daphne du Maurier | Adult | gothic suspense |
| Gone Girl | Gillian Flynn | Adult | modern twists |
| Codename Villanelle | Luke Jennings | Adult | assassin cat and mouse |
| American Psycho | Bret Easton Ellis | Adult | dark satire |
1. Ripley Under Ground by Patricia Highsmith
Tom Ripley, now living in France, protects a fake artist scheme. The second Ripley book, darker and funnier.
Best for: the next Ripley.
2. Ripley's Game by Patricia Highsmith
Ripley manipulates a dying man into becoming a hitman. Short and cunning.
Best for: third Ripley book.
3. Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith
Two men meet on a train and agree to swap murders. A tense debut and a Hitchcock favorite.
Best for: classic suspense.
4. The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith
A young shopgirl falls for an older woman in 1950s New York. Highsmith's tender love story, filmed as Carol.
Best for: different Highsmith.
5. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
A group of classics students at a New England college commit a terrible crime. Dark academia with beautiful, flawed people.
Best for: dark academia.
6. The Collector by John Fowles
A lonely man kidnaps a woman he admires and keeps her prisoner. Quiet and creepy.
Best for: obsession thrillers.
7. A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell
A housekeeper who cannot read murders the family she works for. Chilling and brief.
Best for: murder study.
8. Notes on a Scandal by Zoë Heller
A teacher recounts a colleague's affair with a student, revealing her own loneliness. Sharp and witty.
Best for: unreliable narrators.
9. Brighton Rock by Graham Greene
A teenage gangster in Brighton commits a murder and tries to cover it up. Dark and moral.
Best for: crime and guilt.
10. Perfume by Patrick Süskind
A man with an exceptional sense of smell becomes a murderer in 18th-century France. Strange and vivid.
Best for: dark obsession.
11. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
A beautiful young man's portrait ages while he stays young. Witty, gothic and a study of vanity.
Best for: charming corruption.
12. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
A new bride lives in the shadow of her husband's first wife. Moody and suspenseful.
Best for: gothic suspense.
13. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
A wife disappears on her anniversary, and her husband becomes a suspect. Dark and twisty.
Best for: modern twists.
14. Codename Villanelle by Luke Jennings
A young assassin and the intelligence officer who hunts her. The source of Killing Eve.
Best for: assassin cat and mouse.
15. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
A Wall Street banker hides violence behind designer labels. Extreme and satirical.
Best for: dark satire.
How to Choose
For more Ripley, read Ripley Under Ground. For more Highsmith, Strangers on a Train. For modern campus murder, The Secret History. For gothic obsession, The Collector. Many of these are cold, and none redeem their killers, so expect discomfort. Highsmith is best read in sequence if you love Ripley, but her standalone novels are just as sharp. After you finish this list, try watching the 1999 film or the 2024 series to compare how directors handle a character with no clear moral center.
Related: 15 Books Like Wings of Fire Kids Will Love: Dragons, Quests and Animal Adventures · 12 Dystopian Books Like the Hunger Games | Best Books to Read Like Hunger Games
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Ripley books are there?
Five: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ripley Under Ground, Ripley's Game, The Boy Who Followed Ripley and Ripley Under Water.
Is the film faithful?
The 1999 film with Matt Damon follows the book closely but softens some aspects.
Does Ripley get caught?
No. Highsmith famously lets him escape.
Is it a mystery?
It is a suspense novel in which we know the killer from the start.
What is the best Highsmith after Ripley?
Strangers on a Train and The Price of Salt are both widely loved.
Is Ripley a hero?
No. He is a thief and murderer, and part of the book's disturbing effect is how easily readers side with him.
Was Highsmith inspired by a real case?
She said she was inspired by a stay in Positano, Italy, and the idea of a person who could slip into another life.
Is the book a thriller?
It is a psychological thriller more than a whodunit, since the reader knows what he did.
What age is it for?
It is for adults and older teens.
Does Highsmith write about other charming villains?
Yes. Strangers on a Train and Deep Water both center on people whose polite manners hide murderous plans.
Why is Ripley so compelling?
He is clever, adaptable and strangely likable, which makes the reader complicit in his choices.