Rating: 
Summary: It's not that bad!
Review: I have read few good reviews for this book, but having read it now, I think very much otherwise.In my opinion, this is the second best in the series - because "The Talented Mr. Ripley" is the best, of course, but also because "Ripley Under Ground" had a few good moments and was otherwise rather flat (4th best to me), "Ripley's Game" had a more good moments, but still didn't reach great peaks of suspense (3rd best), and "The Boy who Followed Ripley" was really pointless, and the core concept had already been done, and a lot better, in "The Two Faces of January." But here, as soon as Tom grows suspicious of the Pritchards, the atmosphere goes very apprehensive. And, as the novel progresses, it turns to a tension - that sweet, magical "oh, don't get caught! Don't get caught!" tension - that only the first one really has. And it doesn't let go. This book is indeed one of the few "unputdownables" that nearly equals Highsmith's best. It's definitely worth it. Read on!
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Waste Your Time or Your Money
Review: I read all five Ripley books in order of their publication dates. I definitely had an attraction-repulsion thing going with them, but they kept me interested for the most part. However, after awhile the plots got rather ridiculous. "Ripley Under Water" is by far the worst of the series. There are lots of loose ends and half-answered questions, and the main protagonist's actions make no sense. I kept thinking, "He wants to get Ripley. So how come he is handling everything so moronically?" And instead of ending, this book seemed to just peter out. Don't waste your time or your money on this one.
Rating:
Summary: A Grand Farewell
Review: I was never so sorry to say goodbye to a sociopath. As the tale unfolded I was breathless with anticipation as to how Ripley's life would... I was on the edge of my seat, mesmerized from the opening moments to the final words. I wish the tale could have gone on forever. I don't remember the last time my heart raced so from a book. Read this - but save it for last; always save the best for last. Patricia Highsmith did.
Rating:
Summary: A highly satisfying Ripley
Review: I was thoroughly fascinated with the character because of the movie, really enjoyed Ripley Underground, did NOT like Ripley's Game because Ripley wasn't in it enough, and LOVED this book. I am so sad to read that P. Highsmith is dead (my copy says that she lives in Switzerland--not a euphemism for death as far I know--so it must be dated). I'm still looking forward to The Boy who Followed Ripley but perhaps the reviewer who claims to be the real Mr. Ripley could start writing his own tales in Ms. Highsmith's style...
Rating: 
Summary: Why do so many people dislike this book?
Review: I've been browsing the reviews for this particular entry in the devilish Tom Ripley series, and a lot of them seem to cite this as one of the weakest books. I don't understand why - it seems perfectly in the spirit and style of the rest of the series, and I find it perversely satisfying that the series ends with Ripley, once again, secure and happy. Maybe it's not as emotionally resonant as the original "Talented Mr. Ripley," nor as crackerjack suspenseful as "Ripley's Game," but (for what it's worth) I'd say it's definitely better than "Ripley Underground" and "The Boy Who Followed Ripley."
Rating:
Summary: A Stalking Nemesis Looms
Review: If you have enjoyed the Ripley series of books, you will undoubtedly want to read the final book, Ripley Under Water.
This book is a continuation of the story line of Ripley Under Ground, as the title suggests. This book is, however, less engaging and dramatic than Ripley Under Ground.
What Makes Ripley Under Water noteworthy is its boding sense of menace and paranoia. What would it be like to be stalked by someone who wants to do you harm? How would you feel? Those are the themes that are well developed in this book.
An American couple in their thirties, David and Janice Pritchard, move into Tom Ripley's neighborhood. Tom has a slight recollection of seeing them before somewhere. Soon he begins receiving strange telephone calls from someone claiming to be a person Ripley killed many years before. The Americans invite Ripley and his wife for a drink. Ripley goes alone and finds that the couple is obsessed with him, and knows quite a bit about his past misdeeds. The man even threatens Ripley. Soon thereafter the couple is seen outside of Ripley's home taking photographs.
Ripley's annoyed, but trying to stay cool. But when the man shows up in Morocco during the Ripley's' vacation, it's too much. Ripley begins to fight back in typical Ripley fashion. Events escalate when Ripley and Pritchard return to France.
My main complaint about the book is that the end doesn't live up to the suspense that leads up to it. As a result, I was left feeling dissatisfied with the story.
On the good side, the psychological development is very fine. In addition, the book is full of subtle puns and ironies . . . such as Ripley, who has killed so many men being freaked out by having to be in the kitchen while live lobsters are cooked.
Even if you are paranoid, remember that someone may really be after you!
Rating:
Summary: The Country Gentleman Killer
Review: In this book, written almost forty years after "The Talented Mr. Ripley", our hero has matured in many ways. Ripley is now a living abroad as a country gentleman with a beautiful wife, a home, and a refined taste in art. Even more interesting is the manner in which Ripley's criminal mind has matured. He has evolved from thief and confidence trickster to the more dignified crime of forgery. Now he has friends and confidants of many years to assist him. He also has a string of murders behind him and several implacable enemies including, vulgar American named Prichard who is determined to expose his crimes. Despite Ripley's tarnished history, we quickly come to see him as the unfair victim of the obnoxious, meddlesome Prichard. So what if he's forged a few paintings and killed some people? After all, Ripley is a cultured gentleman-he's a painter, musician, and polyglot with all the trappings of a successful businessman. We know that Ripley kills but only as a last resort and often with regret. Prichard on the other hand, makes a career of victimizing people. His battle with Ripley is not a moral crusade as much as a sadistic whim. In the oddest and perhaps the most brilliant part of the novel Ripley is reading Richard Ellman's biography of Oscar Wilde to take his mind off of Prichard's threatening activities. He finishes the book (it is an excellent biography of Wilde, by the way) and compares Prichard's activities to the Marquis of Queensbury's legal assault on Wilde and to the Persecution of Christ. Ripley concludes that in all three situations, the rough and the low-born attack the refined. It's a bit of a stretch but it works. Ripley the murderer becomes victim and martyr. Since almost all of the crime in this novel has already been committed in the past, the reader experiences it in Ripley's recounting of past experiences. Even the removal of Prichard is more of a fortuitous even then premeditated murder. The tension and "edge" in this novel comes not so much from actions as the thoughts and words that accompany those actions. At one point Ripley admonishes a less determined accomplice not to bother saving the dying Prichard. His tone is stern, ruthless, and utterly devoid of any moral consideration. I'm not surprised that a lot of Ripley fans did not like this book since it is largely psychological and lacks the frenetic action of "The Talented Mr. Ripley". But "Ripley Under Water" is a superb thriller in its own right with a lot of wonderful touches. I found the older, refined, Tom Ripley to be a completely believable character. Just go to a college reunion some time and you'll notice that all of the nihilists and trouble makers you went to school with are now the nicest parents and spouses. So it is with Ripley, the country gentleman. Similarly his nemesis, Prichard is believable in his own right. In the end isn't it American culture that has come to France to attack its refined fugitive?
Rating: 
Summary: Ripley series ends with whimper...
Review: It is a shame Patricia Highsmith was unable to sustain her brilliance throughout all of her novels. Even the Ripley series has its slow moments. I had hoped the final Ripley novel from Highsmith would be one of her better works; some of the amazon.com reviews looked promising. But sorry to say, Ripley Under Water is just average Ripley fare. Ripley Under Water starts off with such a wonderful premise. Tom Ripley is being hounded by a fanatic who for some inexplicable reason senses Ripley's murderous past, and is determined to make Ripley's life miserable as he uncovers the truth. But unfortunately Highsmith doesn't turn on the anxiety as expected, and the story has a rather unsatisfactorily flat ending. Beyond this, Highsmith spends so much time re-telling tidbits of the early Ripley novels ... as if there are potential readers who decided to start off on this book rather than follow in sequence (not likely, and not advisable). But Ripley Under Water works very well in one aspect: the Ripley ambiance. It is amazing how Highsmith can capture the feeling of the characters and the setting so consistently throughout the Ripley series, a series spanning some 30+ years. She spends so much time detailing Tom Ripley's behaviour at being ... Tom Ripley! Enjoyable to an extent, but this too wears thin. Bottom line: a satisfactory read for Highsmith fans only.
Rating:
Summary: Ripley series ends with whimper...
Review: It is a shame Patricia Highsmith was unable to sustain her brilliance throughout all of her novels. Even the Ripley series has its slow moments. I had hoped the final Ripley novel from Highsmith would be one of her better works; some of the amazon.com reviews looked promising. But sorry to say, Ripley Under Water is just average Ripley fare. Ripley Under Water starts off with such a wonderful premise. Tom Ripley is being hounded by a fanatic who for some inexplicable reason senses Ripley's murderous past, and is determined to make Ripley's life miserable as he uncovers the truth. But unfortunately Highsmith doesn't turn on the anxiety as expected, and the story has a rather unsatisfactorily flat ending. Beyond this, Highsmith spends so much time re-telling tidbits of the early Ripley novels ... as if there are potential readers who decided to start off on this book rather than follow in sequence (not likely, and not advisable). But Ripley Under Water works very well in one aspect: the Ripley ambiance. It is amazing how Highsmith can capture the feeling of the characters and the setting so consistently throughout the Ripley series, a series spanning some 30+ years. She spends so much time detailing Tom Ripley's behaviour at being ... Tom Ripley! Enjoyable to an extent, but this too wears thin. Bottom line: a satisfactory read for Highsmith fans only.
Rating:
Summary: Correcting a reviewer's error.
Review: This book was not written 40 years after The Talented Mr. Ripley
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