In the first novel of the series, we meet Tom Ripley, a down-on-his-luck con artist living off his wits in Italy. But, in a chance encounter with the rich and classy Mr Greenleaf, he finds himself on a mission to coastal Italy to persuade Greenleaf’s loafer son to return to the U.S. and get serious.

Does he fall in love with Greenleaf Jr himself, or just with his lifestyle? It’s hard to tell. But gradually he inveigles himself into the doomed playboy’s world and, in doing so, into our sympathies.

But here's the thing: Tom is so damn likeable. He’s self-effacing, shy and charmingly naïve about the ways of the wealthy – an orphan with a hard past who, through graft, charm, and sheer force of personality, beats the odds to make a success of his life.

It's just that... the thing he's really successful at is getting away with murder.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pr%2FQrqCrnV6YvK571KRmnK2cqcKzsY6bpqijo2S0d3yScWlxcGhktbDDjK2mZqqVlrFuwMeeZKuhoKGyunnNqK2epF2osrO1xKxkoqZdpL%2BlsdFo