No Comebacks

I stumbled onto No Comebacks while looking for another book by one of my favorite authors of spy fiction. Short stories by Frederick Forsyth? Really? Why not? So, I ordered a hardcover copy.Great decision!I read this fine collection of short stories over one week, largely on my Manhattan balcony, during Quarantine 2020. Forsyth, dependably, whisked me away from the quietude and grimness of the COVID-19 pandemic to a variety of locales, mainly in the United Kingdom. From the world of a suddenly smitten playboy in London's West End, to a sadistically supervised demolition site outside Belfast, to the leafy Kentish estate of a meticulous rare-coin dealer, we meet Forsyth's carefully drawn characters in their well-sketched environments. Seemingly routine circumstances develop into intriguing scenarios and, usually, very clever and satisfying conclusions.The story that develops into an elaborate fishing tale didn't thrill me, nor did another that finds strangers on a train playing cards on a ride across Ireland. But Forsyth's other chronicles were concise and captivating. This is a perfect book for quick reads, when your schedule suddenly allows for well-written, imaginative, 45-to 60-minute getaways.

An excellent collection of short stories by Mr. Frederick Forsyth, all loaded with intrigue and ending with fiendishly clever plot twists. The ending of the opening--and titular--story has arguably the most shocking and gut-wrenching ending of them all. IMHO, the most satisfying are "The Emperor" (a bit of "The Old Man and the Sea" meets "The Taming of the Shrew" for lack of a better analogy) and "Privilege" (it's great to see an uppity, seemingly untouchable mainstream media journalist get his comeuppance and poetic justice). The stories also give good insight into the societies and cultures of 20th century England, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland alikeA couple of minor nitpicks:(1) "Used In Evidence" ends with a bit of a "WTF?" unresolved feel.(2) On p. 21, Forsyth commits a technical gaffe when he claims that autopistols are mode difficult to silence than wheelguns because "Automatics, unlike revolvers, do not have a closed breech." Actually, most semiauto pistols (including the 9mm Browning used by the character in that particular story) have a locked breech, and moreover, revolvers are more difficult to silence b/c of the exploding gases escaping the cylinder.Those nitpicks aside, a thoroughly enjoyable read, enhanced all the more by some delightfully witty prose employed throughout the stories. A couple of examples:(1) "It is a strange thing about police cars; when you need one they are like strawberries in Greenland. Scrape a few inches of paint off somebody else's bodywork and they come out of the gratings." (p. 122)(2) "It is one of the burdens of the Irish to pass through history being mistaken for the English." (p. 215)

Very few writers are equally good at both novels and short stories. I will not leave you in suspense - Frederick Forsyth is a better novelist. That is not a problem, however, as his novels are strong enough that he can dip a bit below that level and still be quite good. NO COMEBACKS demonstrates this.As one would expect from Forsyth, the stories in this collection often have either a violent or malicious undercurrent to them or explore the inner recesses of man's psyche. Many of the stories have a bit of a twist at the end, with some easy to see, others a bit harder, while still others appear to be apparent only to take a last minute swerve to somewhere else. My personal favorite is Money With Menace because it illustrates one of my favorite principles - you should not mess with someone even if he looks to be a sap because you never know when that other guy is tougher and nastier than you. The story Duty is out of place, which Forsyth acknowledges in a footnote. But as it is claimed to be true, I am glad it is included and the story did stay with me for a while after reading it.Forsyth unfortunately tends to be far too technical with some of his descriptions. Usually this is easily overlooked but becomes irritating in the story The Emperor with its details of fishing equipment. I suppose, however, that one does not earn Forsyth's reputation without an eye for detail and one cannot blame a man for showing it. Get the book to read a story or two between larger and heavier books and you will not be disappointed.

I love the book. I remember that I read the book many years ago, I think enjoyed it more this time.

Forsyth is a master of the short story (see also his other collection, "The Veteran.") Short stories are all about comeuppance, and the assorted villains in this collection get what's coming to them—sometimes in grim ways, sometimes in funny ways, sometimes in both. I've had the book in printed form for years but got it in digital form because I like to re-read it from time to time. You'll love it.

A nice little read of short stories from a master story-teller. Not up to the level perhaps of his longer books, but well worth a read.

Read it twice his endings are quirky at times

This is a book of short stories all with the great twists that you don't see coming. I saved this book for reading on a boring flight and it completely entertained me for the entire flight. Loved it. I wish Frederick Forsyth had written more books because he wrote such well written and clever plots.

I've read many of Frederick Forsyth's novels, some more than once, and always enjoyed them. I wasn't sure how his style of narrative would adapt to the short-story form, and it's true that the style of writing here is necessarily somewhat different from the long and often complex plots of his other books. Having said that, I found this collection thoroughly enjoyable, and have placed it on my "to be re-read in future" list.

I'm not a great lover of short stories, but as an FF fan I think it only fair to try out the book. As I always like to reread my books at a later stage what I do with short stories is to " highlight" in marker pen, the stories that I have found most enjoyable and " rereadable"for future reference. If memory is correct,there were three stories highlighted, with the most memorable being " The Emperor" a storyof a battle between man and fish!The story develops out of an easy going short story into an epic tale that can only be described as memorable ( yes hard to imagine this tale of a battle between a man and a fish, but it's not just any fish, it's the Emperor! It's worth buying this book,for this story alone, in fact when I've finished my review,I'm going to get the book back off the shelf, make a coffee and............well guess,it's not rocket science...........Enjoy

Several short stories, each one perfectly crafted, and every single one with a twist in the tail. I couldn't predict what was coming next, and no matter how hard I tried, I never did get to the end without being surprised.A masterpiece of short story writing.

I never realised this was a collection of short stories. I was really surprised by the stories and plotting in them all. These stories prove, if proof is needed that Frederick Forsyth Is a wonderfully talented writer. Every story drags you in from the first page and delivers the punchline you're not quite expecting. Really enjoyed this collection.

I bought the original hardback when it was first published and lent it to my mother to read. Unfortunately she gave it away. Have wanted to re-read it for some time and wasn't disappointed.