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First Four
Four thrillers that go straight to your heart. So dark. Yet so full of light.
First Four is a boxset of D. F. Bailey’s first four psychological thrillers. The collection includes his first novel — a W. H. Smith First Novel Award finalist — Fire Eyes, plus Healing The Dead, The Good Lie, and Exit From America. BONUS: his short story, “Suitcase,” the perfect epilogue to Healing the Dead.
IN PRAISE OF...
Fire Eyes
"Fire Eyes is a taut psychological thriller with literary overtones, a very contemporary terrorist romance."
—Globe and Mail
"A dynamite read. Combines a remarkable literary finesse with the tightly wound mainspring of a psychological thriller. A new writer of the very best."
— Andreas Schroeder, author of “Renovating Heaven”
Healing The Dead
"You start reading Healing the Dead with a gasp and never get a proper chance to exhale."
—Globe and Mail
"The author is not afraid to take a hard look at the darker side of human nature, at the source of fear and violence, and to explore their repercussions with unflinching honesty."
—Monday Magazine
The Good Lie
"Bailey's masterstroke is in creating a situation for his protagonist that is so believable the reader cannot help but feel complicit in the guilt and anguish of it all. With compelling, measured prose, he stakes out precious territory in a genre - located somewhere between thriller and psychodrama - that he makes completely his own."
—Quill & Quire Magazine
"Bailey has crafted a tale that not only looks at a universal theme but places it in a very West Coast context, making this one story that local readers are going to love."
—Boulevard Magazine
Exit From America
“Another great story of moral revelation, despair and redemption by a contemporary master.”
— Lawrence Russell, author of “Outlaw Academic”
"The writing is extremely good … an exquisitely crafted novel. Reminiscent of The Unbearable Lightness of Being."
— Aaron C. Brown, Amazon Top 500 Reviewer
First Four is a boxset of D. F. Bailey’s first four psychological thrillers. The collection includes his first novel — a W. H. Smith First Novel Award finalist — Fire Eyes, plus Healing The Dead, The Good Lie, and Exit From America. BONUS: his short story, “Suitcase,” the perfect epilogue to Healing the Dead.
IN PRAISE OF...
Fire Eyes
"Fire Eyes is a taut psychological thriller with literary overtones, a very contemporary terrorist romance."
—Globe and Mail
"A dynamite read. Combines a remarkable literary finesse with the tightly wound mainspring of a psychological thriller. A new writer of the very best."
— Andreas Schroeder, author of “Renovating Heaven”
Healing The Dead
"You start reading Healing the Dead with a gasp and never get a proper chance to exhale."
—Globe and Mail
"The author is not afraid to take a hard look at the darker side of human nature, at the source of fear and violence, and to explore their repercussions with unflinching honesty."
—Monday Magazine
The Good Lie
"Bailey's masterstroke is in creating a situation for his protagonist that is so believable the reader cannot help but feel complicit in the guilt and anguish of it all. With compelling, measured prose, he stakes out precious territory in a genre - located somewhere between thriller and psychodrama - that he makes completely his own."
—Quill & Quire Magazine
"Bailey has crafted a tale that not only looks at a universal theme but places it in a very West Coast context, making this one story that local readers are going to love."
—Boulevard Magazine
Exit From America
“Another great story of moral revelation, despair and redemption by a contemporary master.”
— Lawrence Russell, author of “Outlaw Academic”
"The writing is extremely good … an exquisitely crafted novel. Reminiscent of The Unbearable Lightness of Being."
— Aaron C. Brown, Amazon Top 500 Reviewer
1008 pages, ebook
Published April 27, 2017
19 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
D.F. Bailey
21 books116 followersD.F. Bailey is a W.H. Smith First Novel Award and a Whistler Independent Book Award finalist.
His first novel, Fire Eyes was optioned for film. His second novel, Healing the Dead, was translated into German as Todliche Ahnungen. The Good Lie, another psychological thriller, was recorded as a talking book. A fourth novel, Exit from America, made its debut as an e-book in 2013.
In 2015 D.F. Bailey published The Finch Trilogy — Bone Maker, Stone Eater, and Lone Hunter — novels narrated from the point-of-view of a crime reporter in San Francisco. He is now extending the trilogy in a series of stand-alone novels.
Following his birth in Montreal, D.F. Bailey's family moved around North America from rural Ontario to New York City to McComb, Mississippi to Cape May, New Jersey. He finally "landed on his feet" on Vancouver Island — where he lives next to the Salish Sea in the city of Victoria.
For twenty-two years D.F. Bailey worked at the University of Victoria where he taught creative writing and journalism and coordinated the Professional Writing Cooperative Education Program — which he co-founded. From time to time he also freelanced as a business writer and journalist. In the fall of 2010 he left the university so that he could turn "his pre-occupation with writing into a full-blown obsession."
For more information about D.F. Bailey's books and his free newsletter visit: www.dfbailey.com
His first novel, Fire Eyes was optioned for film. His second novel, Healing the Dead, was translated into German as Todliche Ahnungen. The Good Lie, another psychological thriller, was recorded as a talking book. A fourth novel, Exit from America, made its debut as an e-book in 2013.
In 2015 D.F. Bailey published The Finch Trilogy — Bone Maker, Stone Eater, and Lone Hunter — novels narrated from the point-of-view of a crime reporter in San Francisco. He is now extending the trilogy in a series of stand-alone novels.
Following his birth in Montreal, D.F. Bailey's family moved around North America from rural Ontario to New York City to McComb, Mississippi to Cape May, New Jersey. He finally "landed on his feet" on Vancouver Island — where he lives next to the Salish Sea in the city of Victoria.
For twenty-two years D.F. Bailey worked at the University of Victoria where he taught creative writing and journalism and coordinated the Professional Writing Cooperative Education Program — which he co-founded. From time to time he also freelanced as a business writer and journalist. In the fall of 2010 he left the university so that he could turn "his pre-occupation with writing into a full-blown obsession."
For more information about D.F. Bailey's books and his free newsletter visit: www.dfbailey.com
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 27, 2017
If you like breath taking thrillers, here is the set for you. There are so many twists and turns in these stories you will need a score card to keep everything straight....and good luck with that! I love the way D.F. writes his stories!!! There are four of in my opinion his best works right here in this set!
July 1, 2018
First Four is a boxed set of four novels by D. F. Bailey before he launched the truly excellent Will Finch series.
This review is limited to Fire Eyes, first of the four novels in First Four.
I read the four Will Finch novels by D. F. Bailey, and loved each one. As a result, I also got used to the consistent style D. F. Baily used in his narrative.
With Fire Eyes, the first line, and the engrossing writing that followed for the rest of the first chapter – in the first person, unlike the Will Finch ones – had me hooked, and I couldn’t help wondering if this was the same D. F. Bailey. Appears to be…
This is a tighter, tougher story than the Will Finch ones, which does not devalue the Will Finch ones one iota. There are fewer characters, and each one gets full treatment as to background and from then onward. And there is suspense, and a kind of tension that won’t give up.
Very frequently, the prose transitions to a kind of poetry; sparse in words, rich in what is communicated to the reader.
With First Four, you get Fire Eyes and three more novels, at less than half of what the four would cost individually.
This review is limited to Fire Eyes, first of the four novels in First Four.
I read the four Will Finch novels by D. F. Bailey, and loved each one. As a result, I also got used to the consistent style D. F. Baily used in his narrative.
With Fire Eyes, the first line, and the engrossing writing that followed for the rest of the first chapter – in the first person, unlike the Will Finch ones – had me hooked, and I couldn’t help wondering if this was the same D. F. Bailey. Appears to be…
This is a tighter, tougher story than the Will Finch ones, which does not devalue the Will Finch ones one iota. There are fewer characters, and each one gets full treatment as to background and from then onward. And there is suspense, and a kind of tension that won’t give up.
Very frequently, the prose transitions to a kind of poetry; sparse in words, rich in what is communicated to the reader.
With First Four, you get Fire Eyes and three more novels, at less than half of what the four would cost individually.
August 5, 2017
A Struggle
Generally the story was fine and came to gather in the end. However, whether it was the wording used or the lack of depth of the characters, I struggled through these books. It stuttered its way from chapter to chapter as if each had been written separately and at different times. A shame as it could quite easily have been a five star rating
Generally the story was fine and came to gather in the end. However, whether it was the wording used or the lack of depth of the characters, I struggled through these books. It stuttered its way from chapter to chapter as if each had been written separately and at different times. A shame as it could quite easily have been a five star rating
April 25, 2017
I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review. It's a bundle of 4 novels by the same author. Each one is extremely well written. They're a little dark in tone, but the psychological depth is surprising. They encourage you to reflect more on human relationships, the way we interact and society on the whole. Thank you so much for these!
April 27, 2017
I was gifted an ARC so I could give my honest opinion.
Surprised about the depth. Very well written, on a darken look about human nature.
Some characters scared me, some made me think about my own actions and inspired me.
It's all about fear, despair, guilt, anguish, redemption, forgiveness...
Moments we can related and take a new look.
Surprised about the depth. Very well written, on a darken look about human nature.
Some characters scared me, some made me think about my own actions and inspired me.
It's all about fear, despair, guilt, anguish, redemption, forgiveness...
Moments we can related and take a new look.
May 1, 2017
This is the first time I have read this author's books, and I can't wait to read more. He really keeps you on your toes with all the twist and turns. You get drawn in and not let go until the end. If you like thrillers then you should get this set.
I received an ARC from the author for purposes of an unbiased review.
I received an ARC from the author for purposes of an unbiased review.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews