Bantam has sent galleys aka ARC's (Advance Reader's Copies) of ABSENT FRIENDS to bookstore owners, book buyers for the chains, and reviewers. They go out with a letter that includes some of the blurbs and a brief description of the book. What the publisher hopes is that the letter will make sellers and reviewers actually read the thing -- obviously too many books are published for all of them to be read by everyone who sells or reviews. So your first task is to get read; then, to be liked. Early word is good, but at this early point you're still only hearing the positive stuff. Anyone who didn't like it is usually too polite to say anything. When the actual reviews start to come in, in about six weeks for the trade publications and at publication time (Sept.) for the press, that will be more telling.