Something wonderful happens in the weeks before a book launches — a small circle of readers gets there first. Long before the world meets Death at Brookhaven, my new cozy mystery, a group of delightful ladies did. My Advance Reader Copy team.
If you’re new here: an ARC team is a small group of readers who agree to read a book before it’s published–before the cover is final, before the last typo is caught. They get an unpolished version of the story, and in exchange, they give the author something invaluable: the truth about how it reads.
They didn’t have to say yes. They agreed to read an unpolished, not-yet-real book and tell me the truth about it. That takes generosity. It also takes courage — for them and for me, since handing someone your manuscript is a little like handing them your diary and asking them to grade it. And what they gave back has been priceless.
Come launch day, September 7th, you’ll see their reviews for yourself. But I wanted to share a little of what they told me first, because I owe them a debt of gratitude, and because their words say more about this book than I ever could.
They Couldn’t Put It Down
More than one reader confessed to losing sleep over Brookhaven. They stayed up late, telling themselves just one more chapter, and then it was somehow 1 a.m. Several read the whole thing in just two sittings. As an author, there is no compliment quite like hearing someone chose the book over their pillow.
“I Feel Like I Know Them”
One reader praised the character development at length — the arcs, the choices, the way people on the page start to feel like people you’ve actually met. But it was another reader’s simple, six-word review that stopped me in my tracks: “I feel like I know them.”
That’s the whole job, isn’t it? Not just character description, but character recognition. I’m grateful she said it so plainly.
A Trip to England, Without Leaving Your Chair
Setting is its own character in this book, and readers noticed. One told me the descriptions were so vivid they carried her right back to a trip she’d taken to England. Another put it even more precisely:
“I could smell the tea and feel the butter melt on the warm croissant.”
I’ll be honest — when a reader tells you they could smell your book, you frame that sentence and hang it on the wall.
That’s exactly the kind of mystery I set out to write: one where the manor house feels as real as the murder, where you can practically hear the gravel crunch under the tires coming up the drive. If you love historical mysteries that transport you — Agatha Christie’s English villages, a big old house with too many secrets, tea that’s gone cold because no one can put the book down long enough to drink it — Brookhaven was written for you.
Thank You, ARC Team
To every woman who gave her time, her honesty, and her late nights to Death at Brookhaven before anyone else — thank you. You made this book better, and you made this launch feel like something shared rather than something solitary. A book only becomes a story once someone else has read it, and you were the first ones to make Brookhaven real. Watch for their full reviews on launch day — I hope you’ll give them a read, too, and maybe leave one of your own once you’ve finished the book.
Mark Your Calendar for the Book Launch
Death at Brookhaven releases September 7th.
- Pre-order the eBook on Amazon now — it’ll be waiting on your device the moment it launches, or order the paperback on September 7th.
- Prefer print or shopping local? Ask your favorite bookstore to order it through their regular distributor.
- Book Signings are scheduled – Keep checking social media, especially Facebook for locations and dates.
Four days out, and I couldn’t be more ready for you to walk through Brookhaven’s doors. Thank you for reading, for pre-ordering, and for being part of this launch — it means more than you know.