| Ripley Under Water | |
| Author: | Patricia Highsmith |
| Cover Artist: | Elspeth Ross |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Series: | Ripliad |
| Genre: | crime novel |
| Publisher: | Bloomsbury (UK) & Alfred A. Knopf (USA) |
| Release Date: | 3 October 1991 |
| Media Type: | Print (hardback, paperback) |
| Pages: | 256 pp |
| Isbn: | 0-7475-1004-0 |
| Oclc: | 26356697 |
| Preceded By: | The Boy Who Followed Ripley |
Ripley Under Water is a 1991 psychological thriller by Patricia Highsmith, the last of five novels featuring Tom Ripley, "an intelligent, cultured gentleman who dabbles in art, music and, occasionally, murder".[1]
Tom Ripley spends his days tending his garden and playing the harpsichord at his home near Fontainebleau. He worries about the appearance of an American couple in his village. The husband eventually introduces himself as David Pritchard and invites Tom to his rented house. The Pritchards were attracted to the pond in front of the house. Pritchard's wife Janice strikes Tom as a victim of abuse, and the couple argue openly during his visit.
Tom soon receives a taunting call from "Dickie Greenleaf", the first person he murdered (The Talented Mr. Ripley). When Tom and his wife travel to Tangier, Pritchard follows them. Tom lures his stalker to an isolated cafe where Pritchard reveals his intention to torment Tom. He also hints that Tom's victims are helping with the effort. In a rage, Tom beats Pritchard but stops short of killing him.
Tom dwells on his list of homicides, such as the murder of Thomas Murchison which Tom felt was necessary to cover up an art forgery scheme (Ripley Under Ground). Pritchard has been in touch with Murchison's widow and suspects Tom murdered her husband.
Pritchard starts dredging local canals and rivers in search of Murchison's corpse. When he finds it, he leaves the headless remains on Ripley's doorstep. Ripley takes a ring off the corpse that could identify it as Murchison. Ripley returns the corpse to the pond in front of Pritchard's house. When Pritchard investigates the splash, he falls in. When Janice tries to help him, she falls in as well. Neither can escape the steep concrete walls of the artificial pond.
The police are perplexed by the bones and the double drowning. They also search for the corpse's head. They interview Tom because Pritchard told Mrs. Murchison he found her husband's body and would deliver it to Ripley. Tom feigns confusion over why Pritchard would do such a thing. He charms the police into sharing a drink with him before leaving. The next day, Tom throws Murchison's ring into a nearby river.
The New York Times review concluded, "This is the least good of the Ripley books, one in which the distinctly undramatic climax suggests that Patricia Highsmith is no longer much involved with her criminal creation...But the title is an ingenious joke, for in the end it is not Ripley who is ever under water."[2] James Campbell noted that the novel "takes about 100 pages to get going, and when it does, the pace, paradoxically, seems to slacken."[3]
The 2009 BBC Radio 4 adaptation stars Ian Hart as Ripley, Helen Longworth as Heloise, William Hope as David Pritchard, Janice Acquah as Janice Pritchard and Caroline Guthrie as Madame Annette.[4]