Behind the prosperous, genteel landscape of the inner city lies a very different world of hardship and insecurity - where a roof over your head is never guaranteed.

Behind the prosperous, genteel landscape of the inner city lies a very different world of hardship and insecurity - where a roof over your head is never guaranteed.

Jack van Duyn, who was introduced in Comfort Zone, is a Melbourne tax-driver in his mid-fifties, living alone in a dingy Brunswick flat, and going to seed. He’s settled into a drab existence of little money, few friends, and no prospects.

He’s still recovering from weeks of turmoil triggered by his infatuation with beautiful Somali refugee Farhia, and the bitter conflict with drug dealers, spies, and thugs that ensued.

However, Jack’s return to normality is short-lived. He’s about to be hurtled into a vicious power struggle involving crooked property developers, angry unionists, and a deranged stalker from his past. Before he knows it, his world is starting to unravel, and he’s running for his life …

‘Tanner’s second novel echoes what he says is the new fault line in global democratic politics- education rather than income.’ -Troy Bramston, Weekend Australian

‘Comeback, as the title implies, is a paean to the old school, to an inner-urban culture that is slipping into the past, perhaps more slowly in tribal-tending Melbourne than most cities, even as the patina of grunge remains.’ -Ed Wright, The Australian

‘Tanner tackles the Australian property development gorgon, confronting issues of corruption in the Melbourne construction industry, gentrification, and homelessness … Tanner’s nuanced exploration of this housing crisis is a welcome narrative, lending hard-edged, working-class realism to a genre that sometimes forgets to include relatable people.’ -Chris Flynn, Australian Book Review