Order of Book Series
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Ripley Books in Order

Ripley by Patricia Highsmith contains 5 books, published between 1955 and 1991. The first book is The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955) and the newest is Ripley Under Water (1991). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
5
Published
1955–1991
Total pages
1,487 across 5 books
Reading time
25–37 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 1,487 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute.

See all 5 books in order Printable Ripley checklist

Tom Ripley is the criminal at the centre of Patricia Highsmith's five-book sequence, a psychopath who kills and keeps going. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955) opens it, followed by Ripley Under Ground (1970), Ripley's Game (1974), The Boy Who Followed Ripley (1980) and Ripley Under Water (1991). Italy and Britain supply the settings, and the books work as psychological crime rather than detection.

How many Ripley books are there?

Ripley has 5 books, released between 1955 and 1991.

Ripley Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 5 Ripley 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 The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, book 1 of the Ripley series (1955)
  2. Cover of Ripley Under Ground by Patricia Highsmith, book 2 of the Ripley series (1970)
  3. Cover of Ripley's Game by Patricia Highsmith, book 3 of the Ripley series (1974)
  4. Cover of The Boy Who Followed Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, book 4 of the Ripley series (1980)
  5. Cover of Ripley Under Water by Patricia Highsmith, book 5 of the Ripley series (1991)
  1. 1
    The Talented Mr. Ripley1955 · 288 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1955288
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Ripley Under Ground1970 · 285 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1970285
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Ripley's Game1974 · 288 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1974288
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Boy Who Followed Ripley1980 · 330 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1980330
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Ripley Under Water1991 · 296 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1991296
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Is there a chronological order for Ripley?

No separate chronological order is on record for Ripley, because none of the book listings this catalogue draws on publishes one; the publication order above is the only order given.

Do you have to read Ripley books in order?

You should read the Ripley books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Ripley book also stands alone.

Where to start with Ripley

Start with The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Ripley book?

Ripley Under Water (1991) is the newest Ripley book released so far.

Is there a new Ripley book coming?

No next Ripley 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 Ripley has won

Wikidata records 1 award and 3 nominations for Ripley. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

Ripley at a glance

No recent titles
The newest Ripley title on record dates from 1991, 35 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
Release pace
Ripley books have appeared about one every 9 years on average.
Length
1,487 pages across all 5 books with a recorded length, a median of 288 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Ripley books, 2 of 5, were published in the 1970s.

What the Ripley books are about

All 5 Ripley books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: criminals is tagged on 5 of 5. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

More books by Patricia Highsmith

The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.