Patricia Highsmith Patricia Highsmith Patricia Highsmith (January 19, 1921 – February 4, 1995) was an American novelist and short story writer best known for her psychological thrillers, including her series of five novels featuring the character Tom Ripley. She wrote 22 novels and numerous short stories throughout her career spanning nearly five decades, and her work has led to more than two dozen film adaptations. Her writing derived influence from existentialist literature, and questioned notions of identity and popular morality. She was dubbed "the poet of apprehension" by novelist Graham Greene. Her first novel, "Strangers on a Train", has been adapted for
Shelby Highsmith H. W. Bush nominated Highsmith on June 27, 1991 to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, to the seat vacated by Judge Thomas E. Scott. Confirmed by the Senate on September 12, 1991, he received commission on September 16, 1991. Highsmith assumed senior status on March 15, 2002, but stopped hearing cases in 2008. He died on December 2, 2015, at his family's home in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, from the effects of adrenal cancer. Shelby Highsmith Shelby Highsmith (January 31, 1929 – December 2, 2015) was an American lawyer and a United States District Judge