The protagonist in the thirtieth novel by Dick Francis is a British diplomat named Peter Darwin. He has some downtime between assignments and, through a combination of bizarre circumstances, he finds himself back in his childhood hometown of Gloucestershire. There he befriends a veterinary surgeon named Ken McClure. McClure seems to be having a terrible run of luck in that several valuable horses that he has operated on recently have died mysteriously following their surgery. McClure's reputation is being trashed and he may lose his practice as a result.

Darwin attempts to use his investigative and diplomatic skills to figure out why the horses might be dying. Naturally, he suspects foul play and soon winds up in a messy thicket of intrigue that stretches back a generation and involves some very unsavory characters. As the plot thickens, people as well as horses begin to die, and if Darwin isn't careful, he could be the next to go.

I confess that this book did not work nearly as well for me as most of the other Dick Francis novels I've read. The complicated process by which Peter Darwin meets and befriends McClure stretched credulity for me, and the plot did not seem nearly as tense and exciting as in most other Francis novels. The cast of characters was large and a bit confusing, and there are long extended discussions of the ways in which veterinarians treat a variety of equine ailments. In particular, there are several extended discussions of the drugs that vets use to treat horses and the ways in which those drugs might be abused to injure horses.

Readers who enjoy that sort of minute detail will no doubt like this book a lot more than I did, but for me it all became a bit mind-numbing. I've really enjoyed most all of the Dick Francis novels I've read through the years, some of them a couple of times. This, though, is one that I probably won't be coming back to.

Just ok,

Comback is the story of a man named Peter Darwin who visits friends and finds a curious situation going on at an equine vetrinary clinic. He works to solve the unexplainable deaths of several prized racehorses before it's too late. I found the book extremely intriguing, and would love to read another Dick Francis book sometime soon.

Fine. Not too horsey or racetrackey. An involved plot and decent characters.

Solidly enjoyable

What is there to say about Dick Francis? As I think about all of his books (yes, this review covers all of his books, and yes I've read them all) I think about a moral ethical hero, steeped in intelligence and goodness embroiled in evil machinations within British horse racing society - either directly or indirectly. The heroes aren't always horse jockies, they can be film producers, or involve heroes engaged in peripheral professions that somehow always touch the horse racing world.

But more than that, Francis's heroes are rational human beings. The choices made are rational choices directed by a firm objective philosophy that belies all of Francis's novels. The dialogue is clear and touched with humor no matter the intensity of evil that the hero faces. The hero's thoughts reveal a vulnerability that is touching, while his actions are always based on doing the right thing to achieve justice.

Causing the reader to deeply care about the characters in a novel is a difficult thing to do. No such worries in a Francis novel. The point of view is first person, you are the main character as you read the story (usually the character of Mr. Douglas). The hero is personable, like able, non-violent but delivering swift justice with his mind rather than through physical means. This is not to say that violence is a stranger to our hero. Some of it staggering and often delivered by what we would think of normal persons living in British society.

You will come to love the world of Steeple Chase racing, you will grow a fondness for horses, stables, trainers and the people who live in that world. You will read the books, devouring one after the other and trust me Dick Francis has a lot of novels (over 40 by my last count).

There are several series woven into the fabric of Francis's work: notably the Sid Halley and Kit Fielding series.

Assessment: Dick Francis is one of my favorite writers. I read his books with a fierce hunger that remains insatiable and I mourn his death.

British First Secretary Peter Darwin is on his way home to England from Tokyo when he is mugged. When he arrives home he is greeted by unpleasant memories of race horse deaths and murder.

Another good read by Dick Francis. The setting for this mystery is a veterinarian clinic. All sorts of nefarious motives and dangerous actions are featured. If you like descriptions of poisons and veterinarian medicine, you will love this book. A particularly fraught and vividly described episode entails the removal of a needle from a horse's intestine.

I read this already - many years ago. But recalled very little, and I enjoyed reading it again. Lots of details about veterinary medicine which I find interesting. And a little romance, Dick Francis style, which is definitely not PC. Men in these books have horribly chauvinistic behavior but that was the era... I’m going to read or reread more of these, just for the weird charm of Britain in another era, and of course, horses. And breathe a sigh of relief that some things have changed for the better.
The mystery and how the clever narrator solved it - complex and fascinating.

3.5

Just an enjoyable mystery novel.

COMEBACK tells us what happened when the Protagonist - diplomat Peter Darwin, went back to his boyhood country of Gloucestershire after twenty long years. It tells of the bane of small towns and villages, how people and places change, yet remain the same in many ways.

The book provides an insight into the world of horse racing and the underbelly of horse owners, racers, vets and insurers. The death of prize horses baffles everyone and you dont need to be a detective to detect that crime trail. You must be curious to connect cause to effect or vice versa!

We read about how professional reputation maybe everythng to one and how another may tear it apart unintentionally. And finally how friendship can be a true blessing! You might meet someone and become his friend instantly and know someone from years and yet not be his friend! It is a story of friendship and hope...an interesting, absorbing and well paced book.