Can't beat the original

Well constructed, but don't read this if you object to animal abuse, as most of the murder victims are in fact horses, including a mare in foal. When your actual human is murdered, the torture-porn aspect gets a trot around the paddock. Our Hero is a civil servant, another fatherless Francis MC, but in this case instead of being a marginal drifter he is codependent--he just can't help butting in and taking care of everyone within reach, whether they like him for it or not. That doesn't stop him being very James Bond in the denouement. The murder weapon was laughably far-fetched.

Francis' dislike of America and its people was rather evident in the first few chapters of the book. I can't see the point of dressing The Girl like a 1960s bimbo in 1991, unless the author didn't like her much, either. I don't think he did, as she is simply window-dressing with about as much personality as a wet sponge.

Unfortunately the audio book was read by the dismal David Case, with his affected (acquired? faked?) uppah clahhs drawl and bored lack of inflexion. This was not helped by suddenly halfway through the text deciding to have the MC's voice go from normal male to the breathy, die-away voice which is all he appears to have for women characters.

This book is right in line with the style, plot, character development, and writing style as other Dick Francis books, which for me, is a good thing.
My only negative with this book is how quickly Peter is absorbed into Ken's world. I get why the couple relied on him, but it's hard to believe that within minutes of coming onto the scene, he is everyone's go-to person at the veterinarian practice -- to the point where Ken even asked him to be best man at his wedding.
Another minor point is how omnipresent Belinda is when Peter first arrives, but very soon, she's not mentioned at all.
Still, a good, quick, entertaining read, as most (if not all) Dick Francis books are.

I've read many Dick Francis books. If I find one that I haven't read, then I grab it because they are well written and enjoyable enough to be worth time spent. Mr. Francis' books typically have an English hero, his companion, and at least one interesting villain. Like most of his books, this story centers around race horses and "horse people". I really liked the "Comeback" story about a British consul that falls in with a group of luckless veterinarians. The story is lively with fun characters. The one negative comment that I have is the end of "Comeback" is rather abrupt. It wasn't a bad ending. The major conflict is resolved in quick fashion, however, other minor conflicts show up in the story but the are not resolved. The ending kept me from giving the book a four star rating. Typical endings of Mr. Francis books wraps things up nicely at the end of his stories.

As the subject of horses is not something that interests me I found it hard to get into this book. With that being said it is written wonderfully and the ending is not what you would expect.

I was both excited and sad while reading this. I own all 40 of his novels. (I have not read any he co-wrote with son Felix, not have I read any of Felix’s DF novels.) About a year ago, I filled in the gaps of my collection in order to have a complete set. I had read each of them numerous times, but for some reason didn’t own them all. I believe I bought 12 books. My plan was to read one book a month, spreading my joy over a year. I did not, in fact, do that, but instead, binge-read a whole bunch over just a few days.

How excited was I to find one on my bookshelf that I had never read! So here I am with a new story to read. Part of me wants to tear through it. Another part of me wants to savor the experience. After all, I’ll never read a Dick Francis novel for the first time again. It’s that melancholy feeling you get when you “discover” a new author, only to learn they’ve died and will never write another story. So, I dragged it out as long as I could, meaning I took the whole day to read it, instead of just a few hours.

So worth it! Another classic hero. This time he’s a diplomat, having spent his youth on and around the racecourse in his town. Returning to Gloucestershire after 20 years away, Peter Darwin manages to land smack in the middle of a mess; dead horses, arson, murder. Aside from the dead horses, arson, and murder, this was a lot of fun.

Excellent fiction. I’ve never read a Dick a Francis novel that didn’t just purely captivate my mind during the reading. Always something to learn, and always a great plot. It’s a shame he’s gone, though his work lives on.

One if his BEST

One if his BEST ... This story is so very well put together. The detail interesting and so enriches the plot. The mystery that connects so many people and generations . The veterenary info fascinating. I was hardly able to put it down, read it too fast, I need to have more!!!

Typical Francis...good story, surprises, and lots of horses.

Francis was the perfect author to write about a vet practice where horses die mysteriously. I found it hard to read about the pain and death of horses, but enjoyed the story overall.

I have been reading Dick Francis novels for a long, long time. I discovered his books while living in Chicago, some 20 or 30 years ago. Confident that I had read every one published, Francis' horse racing mysteries fell by the way side. That's why it was a pure delight to reread, "Comeback." Excellent. As always. A Dick Francis novel is worth reading, or rereading, at any point in one's life. This one is truly gruesome, but hang on, the ending is satisfying and terrific.

3.5 stars

Comeback was another enjoyable mystery by Dick Francis although the resolution felt a bit rushed. However, I liked the friendship between Peter Darwin, the main protagonist, and the local vet, Ken, who had lost a number of valuable race horses post-op. There were some interesting facts about various surgeries and drugs. A fun read.