Order of Book Series
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Patricia Highsmith Books in Order

36 books are credited to Patricia Highsmith, published between 1950 and 2021; 4 of them appeared after Patricia Highsmith's death in 1995. The first book is Strangers on a Train (1950) and the newest is Patricia Highsmith: Her Diaries and Notebooks: 1941-1995 (2021). Publication order is the reading order below.

Patricia Highsmith also publishes as Claire Morgan.

Books
36
Published
1950–2021
Pages on record
10,194 in 35 of 36 books
Reading time
170–255 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 10,194 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 35 of 36 titles with a page count on record.

See all 36 books in order Printable Patricia Highsmith checklist
Photo of Patricia Highsmith, author of the Ripley series

Psychological suspense was Patricia Highsmith's territory: criminals, psychopaths, murder, and the strain that identity puts on ordinary morality. Highsmith (1921-1995), born Mary Patricia Plangman, was an American novelist and short story writer whose work drew on existentialist literature and produced more than two dozen film adaptations. Five novels follow the character Tom Ripley, starting with The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955). The catalogue holds 36 titles, from Strangers on a Train (1950) to the collected diaries and notebooks issued in 2021, with the 1960s her heaviest decade.

How many Patricia Highsmith books are there?

Patricia Highsmith has 36 books, released between 1950 and 2021. 4 of them were published after Patricia Highsmith's death in 1995. 5 of them belong to the Ripley series.

Patricia Highsmith Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 36 Patricia Highsmith books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith (1950)
  2. Cover of The Blunderer by Patricia Highsmith (1954)
  3. Cover of The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, book 1 of the Ripley series (1955)
  4. Cover of Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith (1957)
  5. Cover of A Game for the Living by Patricia Highsmith (1958)
  6. Cover of This Sweet Sickness by Patricia Highsmith (1960)
  7. Cover of The Cry of the Owl by Patricia Highsmith (1962)
  8. Cover of The Two Faces of January by Patricia Highsmith (1964)
  9. Cover of The Glass Cell by Patricia Highsmith (1964)
  10. Cover of A Suspension of Mercy / The Story-Teller by Patricia Highsmith (1965)
  11. Cover of Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction by Patricia Highsmith (1966)
  12. Cover of Those Who Walk Away by Patricia Highsmith (1967)
  13. Cover of Nothing That Meets the Eye by Patricia Highsmith (1968)
  14. Cover of The Tremor of Forgery by Patricia Highsmith (1969)
  15. Cover of Ripley Under Ground by Patricia Highsmith, book 2 of the Ripley series (1970)
  16. Cover of A Dog's Ransom by Patricia Highsmith (1972)
  17. Cover of Little Tales of Misogyny by Patricia Highsmith (1974)
  18. Cover of Ripley's Game by Patricia Highsmith, book 3 of the Ripley series (1974)
  19. Cover of The Animal-Lover's Book of Beastly Murder by Patricia Highsmith (1975)
  20. Cover of Edith's Diary by Patricia Highsmith (1977)
  21. Cover of Slowly, Slowly in the Wind by Patricia Highsmith (1979)
  22. Cover of The Boy Who Followed Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, book 4 of the Ripley series (1980)
  23. Cover of The Black House by Patricia Highsmith (1981)
  24. Cover of People Who Knock on the Door by Patricia Highsmith (1983)
  1. 1
    Strangers on a Train1950 · 281 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1950281
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    The Price of Salt / Carol1952 · 224 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1952224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    The Blunderer1954 · 265 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1954265
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Talented Mr. RipleyRipley #11955 · 288 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1955288
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Deep Water1957 · 271 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1957271
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    A Game for the Living1958 · 282 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1958282
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    This Sweet Sickness1960 · 282 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1960282
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    The Cry of the Owl1962 · 271 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1962271
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    The Two Faces of January1964 · 284 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1964284
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    The Glass Cell1964 · 249 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1964249
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    A Suspension of Mercy / The Story-Teller1965 · 235 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1965235
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction1966 · 160 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1966160
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Those Who Walk Away1967 · 249 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1967249
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Nothing That Meets the Eye1968 · 455 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1968455
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    The Tremor of Forgery1969 · 249 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1969249
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 17
    Ripley Under GroundRipley #21970 · 285 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1970285
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 18
    A Dog's Ransom1972 · 271 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1972271
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 19
    Little Tales of Misogyny1974 · 119 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1974119
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 20
    Ripley's GameRipley #31974 · 288 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1974288
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 21
    The Animal-Lover's Book of Beastly Murder1975 · 235 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1975235
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 22
    Edith's Diary1977 · 317 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1977317
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 23
    Slowly, Slowly in the Wind1979 · 177 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1979177
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 24
    The Boy Who Followed RipleyRipley #41980 · 330 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1980330
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 25
    The Black House1981 · 270 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1981270
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 26
    People Who Knock on the Door1983 · 340 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1983340
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 27
    Mermaids on the Golf Course1984 · 238 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1984238
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 28
    Found in the Street1986 · 276 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1986276
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 29
    Tales of Natural and Unnatural Catastrophes1987 · 189 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1987189
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 30
    Chillers1990 · 240 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1990240
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 31
    Ripley Under WaterRipley #51991 · 296 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1991296
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  31. 32
    Small g1994 · 310 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1994310
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  32. 33
    The Selected Stories of Patricia Highsmith2001 · 736 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2001736
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  33. 34
    Sour Tales for Sweethearts2015 · 32 pages · confirmed 2/4
    201532
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  34. 35
    Patricia Highsmith's Diaries and Notebooks: The New York Years, 1941-19502021 · confirmed 2/4
    2021–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  35. 36
    Patricia Highsmith: Her Diaries and Notebooks: 1941-19952021 · 992 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2021992
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Patricia Highsmith series in order

The series linked below has its own reading-order page.

Patricia Highsmith books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

Standalone books

31 books

31 Patricia Highsmith titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Patricia Highsmith books in order?

You only need to read Patricia Highsmith books in order within the Ripley series, which holds 5 of the 36 Patricia Highsmith books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.

Where to start with Patricia Highsmith

Start with The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955), the first Ripley book. The earliest catalogued title overall is Strangers on a Train (1950).

What is the newest Patricia Highsmith book?

Patricia Highsmith: Her Diaries and Notebooks: 1941-1995 (2021) is the newest Patricia Highsmith book released so far.

Is there a new Patricia Highsmith book coming?

No next Patricia Highsmith book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Awards Patricia Highsmith has won

Wikidata records 3 awards and 5 nominations for Patricia Highsmith. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

Patricia Highsmith at a glance

Died
Patricia Highsmith died in 1995, according to Wikidata.
After death
Books credited to Patricia Highsmith are still being published after Patricia Highsmith's death in 1995; the newest appeared in 2021.
Release pace
Patricia Highsmith books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
Length
10,194 pages across the 35 of 36 books with a recorded length, a median of 271 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Patricia Highsmith books, 9 of 36, were published in the 1960s.

What the Patricia Highsmith books are about

33 of the 36 Patricia Highsmith books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: mystery & detective is tagged on 16 of 33. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.