Ripley's Game

''Ripley's Game'' (1974) is a psychological thriller by Patricia Highsmith, the third in her series about the con artist and murderer Tom Ripley.

Plot summary

Tom Ripley continues enjoying his wealthy lifestyle in France with his wife, Heloïse. He spends his days living comfortably at his estate, Belle Ombre, until an associate, American criminal Reeves Minot, asks him to commit murder for him. Ripley—who "detest murder, unless absolutely necessary"—turns down the offer of $96,000 for two hits, and Minot goes back to Hamburg.

The previous month, Ripley had gone to a party in Fontainebleau, where he was insulted by the host, Jonathan Trevanny, a poor British picture framer suffering from myeloid leukemia. As revenge, Ripley suggests to Minot that he might try to persuade Trevanny to commit the murders. To ensure that the plan will work, Ripley starts a rumor that Trevanny has only months to live and suggests that Minot fabricate evidence that Trevanny's leukemia has worsened, though Minot does not. Trevanny, who fears his death will leave his wife and son destitute, accepts Minot's offer of a visit to a medical specialist in Hamburg. There, he is persuaded to commit a murder in exchange for money.

After carrying out the contract—a shooting in a crowded U-Bahn station—Trevanny insists that he is through as a hired gun. Minot invites him to Munich, where he visits another doctor. Minot persuades Trevanny to kill a Mafia boss, this time on a train using either a garrotte or a gun. Trevanny reluctantly gives in and gets on the train. He resolves to shoot the ''mafioso'' and commit suicide before he can be caught, asking Minot to ensure that his wife gets the money. But before he can go through with the hit, Ripley, who is fascinated by the whole situation, shows up and executes the ''mafioso'' himself. He asks Trevanny not to tell Minot that he has "assisted" with the assassination.

Trevanny's wife, Simone, discovers a Swiss bank book with a large sum in his name and suspects that he is hiding something. She links the rumor about her husband's condition to Ripley and asks Trevanny to tell her how he has been making so much money. Trevanny is unable to explain and asks Ripley to help concoct a credible story. Ripley acknowledges his role in Trevanny's dilemma and promises to shepherd him through the ordeal. The Mafia become suspicious of Minot and bomb his house, prompting him to flee. Ripley begins to fear Mafia revenge when he receives suspicious phone calls. After sending Heloïse and their housekeeper away, Ripley asks Trevanny to help him deal with any reprisals at Belle Ombre.

When two Mafia hitmen turn up, Ripley kills one and forces the other to phone his boss in Milan and say that Ripley is not the man they are after before being executed. Simone then shows up at the house demanding answers, discovers the corpses and is sent away in a taxi. Ripley and Trevanny drive to a remote village to burn the corpses in their own car. A few days later, Ripley visits Trevanny's house, where a quartet of Mafia gunmen appear. One of them opens fire on Ripley, but Trevanny steps in front of him and is mortally wounded; he dies in Ripley's car on the way to hospital. Ripley is unsure whether Trevanny's action was by accident or design.

A few months later, Ripley encounters Simone in Fontainebleau, and she spits at him. He realizes that Simone has accepted her husband's blood money and in doing so has remained silent about her suspicions of Ripley's instigation of the entire affair.

Reception

In ''The New York Times'', Christopher Lehmann-Haupt wrote that the novel "gets off to a very strong beginning" and described how he appreciated the plot once Ripley set it in motion and stood back. He concluded:

Adaptations

Film

* ''Ripley's Game'' was loosely adapted in 1977 by Wim Wenders as '' Der Amerikanische Freund'', starring Dennis Hopper as Ripley.
* A 2002 adaptation under its original title was made by director Liliana Cavani, with John Malkovich as Ripley. Though more faithful to the novel's plot, depictions of certain characters (notably Reeves and Ripley's wife) were significantly altered, and many scenes from the original text were either removed or changed considerably.

Radio

*The 2009 BBC Radio 4 adaptation stars Ian Hart as Ripley, Helen Longworth as Heloise, Tom Brooke as Trevanny, Paul Rider as Minot and Janice Acquah as Simone.

References

External links

Two Faces of Ripley
filmbrain.com comparison of ''The American Friend'' and '' Ripley's Game''

Ripley's Game at Fact Behind Fiction

{{Patricia Highsmith novels

1974 American novels
Novels by Patricia Highsmith
American novels adapted into films
Novels about organized crime
Heinemann (publisher) books
Novels set in Hamburg
Novels about serial killers