3. The Talented Mr Ripley
The Book: Patricia Highsmith is regarded as one of the finest crime thriller writers ever and the Ripley books (affectionately called the Ripliad by fans) are her magnum opus. Chronicling the life of the charming Tom Ripley, we get an in depth look at the mind of a psychopath as he gets embroiled in adventures equally dark and absurd. Starting with The Talented Mr Ripley, the series developed over the decades, with the once nervous, youthful Ripley becoming a calm, but still dangerous socialite.
Why It Shouldn't Have Been Adapted: Ripleys appeared on screen multiple times over the years, but his character has never been perfectly observed. The most high profile attempt was the Matt Damon starring adaptation of the first novel, which, while accurate to the plot, missed a lot of the nuances of the character, making him less relatable than in the novel and playing up the homosexual undertones that remained repressed in Highsmiths writing. The real issue is that theres so many nuances to Toms character that its impossible to faithfully condense it down for film.