National bestselling author William Elliott Hazelgrove has announced the publication of his latest work of narrative nonfiction, The Camp Mystic Flood: A Story of Tragedy and Heroism, to be published in hardcover by Bloomsbury on July 8, 2027. The book arrives on the second anniversary of the devastating July 4, 2025, flood that swept through Camp Mystic on the Guadalupe River in Texas, one of the deadliest camp disasters in American history. Twenty-seven girls lost their lives when unprecedented floodwaters overwhelmed the century-old summer camp in the Texas Hill Country.
Drawing inspiration from Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm, Hazelgrove's book reconstructs the events of the flood minute by minute, following campers, counselors, parents, rescuers, camp owners, first responders, and members of the surrounding community as they confronted an unimaginable catastrophe. Hazelgrove emphasizes that the book is not an indictment or a defense but aims to tell the whole story—how the tragedy unfolded, who the people were who experienced it, and the extraordinary acts of courage, sacrifice, faith, and heroism that emerged.
Hazelgrove, author of more than twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, has spent months conducting extensive research, including interviews with survivors, families, first responders, meteorologists, and local residents, as well as on-site reporting in Kerr County and the Texas Hill Country. The book examines the catastrophic flood itself, the history of Camp Mystic, the geography and flood history of the Guadalupe River, the rescue efforts, and the difficult questions that have emerged in the disaster's aftermath.
While litigation and public debate continue over questions of responsibility and accountability, Hazelgrove states that the book will not seek to advance a predetermined conclusion. He emphasizes his responsibility as a historian and narrative nonfiction writer to follow the facts wherever they lead, listen to all sides, and tell the story with fairness, compassion, and historical rigor.
At its heart, The Camp Mystic Flood: A Story of Tragedy and Heroism focuses on the human experience of the disaster: the families who entrusted their children to Camp Mystic, the counselors who fought to save them, the rescuers who risked their own lives, and the enduring legacy of the twenty-seven girls whose lives were lost. For more information, visit William Hazelgrove's website.
