Exit From America

A Stroll down Memory Lane
A Rush for the Exits
A Race for Freedom and Survival

“Another great story of moral revelation, despair, and redemption by a contemporary master.” —Lawrence Russell, author of Outlaw Academic

Shattered by the death of his wife, Doyle Mere returns to San Francisco, his wife's hometown and the city he used to know and love. But when Doyle is robbed—twice in one day—he realizes that he has to adapt to an unfamiliar world consumed by flash floods, wildfires, drought, power failure and social collapse.

After his initial setback, Doyle finds comfort with neighbors in a restored Victorian mansion. Together they befriend a wayward artist whose daughter carries a secret that will soon test everyone’s courage and grit. But is their bond strong enough to overcome the impending crisis?

When the chaos threatens to strike at the core of this new-found tribe, Doyle must call upon his twin sons to save them all.  Exit from America is a coiled-up, character-driven novel set in a world on the brink of disaster. Balanced on the edge of suspense and psycho-drama, the novel portrays five disparate souls trying to escape the pending collapse before they are buried in its ruins.

"The writing is extremely good … an exquisitely crafted novel. Reminiscent of The Unbearable Lightness of Being." — Aaron C. Brown, Amazon Top 500 Reviewer

In 2015 D. F. (Don) Bailey published The Finch Trilogy — Bone Maker, Stone Eater, Lone Hunter — three novels narrated from the point-of-view of a crime reporter in contemporary San Francisco. Following the trilogy’s success, Second Life (2017) launched a new saga based on the characters introduced in the first three books. The series prequel, Five Knives, came out in 2018. The Finch chronicle continues with Open Chains (2019), Run Time (2020), and White Sphere (2022).His first psychological thriller, Fire Eyes, was a W.H. Smith First Novel Award finalist. His second novel, Healing the Dead, was translated into German as Todliche Ahnungen. The Good Lie (2008) is set in his adopted hometown, Victoria. His fourth novel, Exit from America, appeared in 2013. Following his birth in Montreal, Don’s family moved around North America from rural Ontario to New York City to Mississippi and New Jersey. “After years of seeking the ideal place to live,” he says, “I finally landed on my feet on Vancouver Island — where I live next to the Salish Sea in the city of Victoria.” For twenty-two years he 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, Don left the university so that, “I could turn my pre-occupation with writing into a full-blown obsession.” An Amazon bestselling author, he’s also a ManyBooks.com Book-of-The-Month Award winner and a Whistler Independent Book Award finalist.