Ripley’s Game characters

Appears from the start

An affluent American living at Belle Ombre in the French countryside with his wife, Héloïse. Cultivated, observant, and outwardly settled, he has a concealed history of fraud and murder. When an associate asks him to carry out a killing, Ripley declines the job but turns the request into a private experiment involving a local man who recently offended him.

First appears in chapter 3

An English picture framer living near Fontainebleau with his wife and young son. He has leukemia and fears that his illness will return, leaving his family without enough money. Fundamentally law-abiding and inexperienced with violence, he becomes vulnerable to an offer designed around that fear.

First appears in chapter 4

Jonathan's English wife and the mother of their son. Practical and attentive, she knows the seriousness of her husband's illness and notices the evasions surrounding his unexplained travel and money.

First appears in chapter 2

An American criminal associate of Ripley's who arranges illicit operations from Hamburg. He wants two Mafia figures killed and first approaches Ripley to do the work. When Ripley refuses, Minot seeks a less obvious and more disposable recruit.

Also known as Heloise Plisson Ripley

Appears from the start

Ripley's French wife, whose wealth and family connections help sustain their comfortable life at Belle Ombre. She accepts much of her husband's secrecy without knowing the immediate scheme that begins while she is away.

Appears from the start

The housekeeper at Belle Ombre. Loyal, discreet, and accustomed to Ripley's habits, she helps maintain the composed domestic setting that surrounds his hidden criminal life.