The Prolific Ms. Highsmith

Well, whatever you do, however terrible, however hurtful, it all makes sense, doesn't it, in your head. You never meet anybody that thinks they're a bad person.

Patricia Highsmith, who would have been 100 years old in 2021, penned 22 psychological thrillers during her career, including a five-volume series about serial killer Tom Ripley. All have been adapted for motion picture treatment, most notably The Talented Mr. Ripley starring Matt Damon.

An eight-episode television series based on the Tom Ripley novels is currently being developed by Showtime with Steve Zaillian doing the adaptation and Andrew Scott starring as Ripley.