National bestselling author William Elliott Hazelgrove's forthcoming book, The Camp Mystic Flood: A Story of Tragedy and Heroism, is now available for preorder through Bloomsbury's US website. Scheduled for publication in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook on July 8, 2027, the book reconstructs the devastating Texas Hill Country flood through the people who experienced it. The hardcover edition carries ISBN 9798216440550, and preorders for the ebook and audiobook are also being accepted through Bloomsbury.
Hazelgrove has discussed his reporting in a WGN-TV Chicago interview and in his essay for The Hill, "Camp Mystic, Revisited," which was shared on the author's Facebook page. Drawing on extensive research, on-site reporting, interviews, eyewitness accounts, and government records, Hazelgrove follows the catastrophic July 4, 2025 flood as the Guadalupe River overwhelmed Camp Mystic. The narrative traces the experiences of campers, counselors, parents, camp leaders, first responders, and neighbors through the unfolding disaster, the desperate rescues, and the long aftermath.
Alongside stories of courage and sacrifice, the book examines the weather, geography, flood history, emergency decisions, and questions of preparedness that shaped the tragedy. Hazelgrove's reporting took him through the Texas Hill Country and along the Guadalupe River with first responders as he worked to reconstruct what happened that night and morning. Publication comes shortly after the second anniversary of the flood, offering readers a deeply researched account of the disaster and its enduring consequences for families and the surrounding community.
The announcement holds significance beyond the book world. For the families and communities still grappling with the flood's aftermath, the book promises a comprehensive record that may help inform public understanding of the events and the decisions made. For emergency management professionals and policymakers, the detailed examination of weather, geography, and preparedness could serve as a case study in disaster response and prevention. The book also adds to the broader literature on natural disasters, emphasizing human resilience and the lessons learned from tragedy.
William Elliott Hazelgrove is the national bestselling author of ten novels and fourteen nonfiction titles. His books have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Booklist, along with ALA Editors' Choice recognition and Junior Library Guild selections. His work has been covered by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, C-SPAN Book TV, and ABC's World News Tonight. He served as the Ernest Hemingway Writer in Residence, writing for ten years in the attic of Hemingway's birthplace.
With preorders now open, readers can secure copies of The Camp Mystic Flood: A Story of Tragedy and Heroism in advance of its July 2027 release. The book is positioned to become a definitive account of a disaster that captured national attention, offering a lasting tribute to the victims and heroes of that fateful night.
