Patricia Highsmith (1921 – 1995) born in Fort Worth, Texas, grew up in Texas and New York and studied Literature and Zoology. She wrote her first short stories while still in high school and initially earned a living as a comic book writer. She had her first international hit in 1950 with her debut novel Strangers on a Train, and the film adaptation by Alfred Hitchcock catapulted her to fame. The Talented Mr. Ripley, published in 1955, was awarded the ›Edgar Allan Poe Scroll‹ by the Mystery Writers of America and introduced the fascinating anti-hero Tom Ripley. Patricia Highsmith died in Locarno in 1995.