Mark Hodder

The recent RIPLEY TV series got a mixed response. Despite some finding it slow and boring, all style over substance, I loved it, and having fairly recently read the book, immediately reached for the sequel. In RIPLEY UNDER GROUND the author gives us what is essentially a French farce but recounted in calm, conversational language. From this dichotomy of absurd events and mundane telling the psychopathy of Ripley (now a serial killer) emerges. Cleverly done, and a marvellous character! Unfortunately, the plot is a mess. Its crescendos come in the wrong places and its lulls are frequently too long. A farce requires a rapid pace and a wild escalation. Those elements are not well handled here, and the cliff-hanger ending doesn't work at all. Disappointing.