Dead Quiet in the Stacks

by Samuel DenHartog

The library is supposed to be the quietest place in town—until a body turns up in the attic, and nothing feels safe between the stacks anymore. Margot Bellamy has spent three decades at the Cozy Cove Memorial Library, cataloging history, shelving fiction, and keeping the peace in her sleepy coastal town. But when a visiting researcher is found dead in the library attic, Margot is drawn into a mystery that reaches far deeper than overdue books and misplaced donations.

As storm clouds gather and old records begin to resurface, Margot uncovers a trail of secrets buried beneath generations of polite smiles and carefully tended hedges. With help from her tech-savvy nephew, her spirited sister, and a carpenter who knows more about quiet observation than he lets on, she starts connecting threads that others have long since chosen to forget. But someone in town is determined to keep the past hidden—even if it means silencing anyone who gets too close.

Rich with coastal charm, buried history, and a steady dose of small-town intrigue, this mystery weaves a puzzle that’s as much about people as it is about clues. In Cozy Cove, every face is familiar—but not every story is true.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

180 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 22, 2025

About the author

Samuel DenHartog is a versatile and imaginative author whose works span a wide array of genres, including mythology, fables, fairy tales, fantasy, romance, mystery, science fiction, and children's books. His stories captivate readers of all ages, blending wonder with rich, timeless narratives.

What sets Samuel apart is his ability to breathe new life into ancient tales while preserving their core essence. Whether it's mythology, folklore, or fairy tales from various cultures, by carefully balancing tradition with modern touches, he creates stories that resonate with contemporary audiences, making historical and mythical narratives feel fresh, relevant, and engaging.

Off the page, Samuel is a lifelong learner, constantly expanding his creative horizons and engaging with innovative ideas. His journey is a continual pursuit of knowledge and creativity, bridging the worlds of tradition and imagination.

Reviews

[Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!* · Rating 1 out of 5]

On his Facebook page, Denhartog stated that this book and its sequel (published 3 days later, because it's all AI-generated and takes no actual time or effort or talent or creativity) were the last things he had AI make to fulfill the topic suggestions from his fans solicited at the start of the year (other suggestions from that time include Cryptid books and witches, which he has since also churned out). I'm a little worried about his ability to meet his goal of having generative AI shit out 12,000 books in 14 years if he ran out of ideas after just the first year, and that's with most of those books just being ChatGPT rephrasing of public domain material. So much creativity on display.

But what Denhartog really has to worry about is Josh Wolstenholm. While Denhartog sharted out 193 AI books in the past 17 months, Wolstenholm is set to rapidly overtake him with 84 AI books in only 6 weeks! You'd better move faster, Denhartog!

Wolstenholm has even AI-splooted out a cozy mystery at the same time: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Maplewo... . Hmm, an AI-generated cozy mystery featuring a librarian, published on the exact same day as this one's sequel? Who is stealing from whom? I know the answer: they're both stealing from everyone.

Anyway, this book sucks, of course. It's AI-generated, what did you expect? The first two pages are stuffed full of confusing, weird, and nonsensical details, just like it's an AI-generated book prompted by a slop peddlar who doesn't read fiction, let alone in the genre he purports to have AI write in.

Oh, this cozy mystery is set in Cozy Cove, is it? Not so much on the nose as stabbing you in the face.

In summary, fuck AI books and the people who publish them.

[NinetyDegreesPastPeriapsis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Denhartog's 8th published book THIS MONTH. Made with AI.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won Book 3 in a Goodreads eBook giveaway. I read about 18%, but there were enough gaps of information that I decided to purchase Book 1. I read about 23% before I decided to not finish. The writing is somewhat sloppy and disconnected. It had one character visiting the library one day. The next day they referred to ‘all of his visits’. I have other books on my shelf that I would rather read.

[Natelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Margot thrives as a librarian. She knows things. She notices details. And she enjoys helping people discover books and truth. Then a stranger comes to Cozy Cove with questions, but the answers keep him from leaving. Will Margot fare better at following the threads.

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. It felt unfinished and facts didn’t quite add up. Then there were sections where reading and rereading didn’t make the author’s meaning any clearer.

[Armelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book for free as a Goodreads giveaway.

I wouldn’t have requested it if I had realized it was largely AI generated.

The body of a visiting researcher is found in the attic of a public library. The plucky librarian solves the case, while uncovering a decades-old scheme involving one of the town’s leading families.

When I started reading, I thought it was going to be okay, but ultimately too many things just didn’t work.

The endless - and kind of odd - descriptions, for example “a town like Cozy Cove, where secrets were gardened just as deliberately as the hibiscus and citrus trees…” got old quickly. On its own, that description seems just fine, but page after page of things “like” other, occasionally random-sounding, things just generated a lot of eye-rolls.

Transitions were often awkward and abrupt. It never felt to me like there was an overall plan for the story. It was like after each scene, the author thought (or asked the bot) “and then what happened?” and just made up something to come next, like some kind of text-based improv routine.

Many clues just happened to fall into Margot’s lap. She just happened to visit the woman in the quilt shop (why?), who just happened to have recently purchased an old sewing box (or something) which just happened to contain a vital clue, which the quilter did absolutely nothing with until Margot just happened to stop in. And another person just happens to decide to donate old family papers right then, which just happen to contain another clue. And Margot constantly just happens to find other clues in weird places around the library. The assumption is that the murdered researcher (or Tamsin, generations ago) left them for her, even though he was only there once, for a couple of hours, and didn’t actually have access to most of those places.

The details of library work were occasionally just wrong.

At one point, several paragraphs were repeated. I thought maybe I had mistakenly turned back a page or two, but I double checked, and there really was a large chunk of repeated text.

I never understood the details of the original fraud, but that might be my own fault.

I felt like I spent a lot of time thinking “that doesn’t even make sense…” (ex: “her pulse was steady but cold.”)

It wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever read, but I don’t plan to read more by this author.

[Jeannie R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring and repetitive.

[Danis Miller-Bucholz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A big thank you to the publisher and to Goodreads - I received a DRC of this novel through Goodreads Giveaways. I don't read many cozy mysteries but this one was entertaining enough to keep my interest. The novel takes place in a small costal town in Florida and revolves around the protagonist, who is the local librarian. Without giving too much away, she ends up involved in solving a murder mystery that may have large implications for the entire community. The premise, main character and setting were interesting, but I often felt like the novel was a little dry - it seemed like it lacked some emotion and it also seemed to me that stronger narration was needed. When I was in the middle of reading it, I happened to look up the author and I saw on an online site that this author stated he used AI to write the novel. I don't know that this is true, though, but if AI was used it might explain why I, as an experienced reader, felt like something was a little off or missing as I read the novel. That being said, it was a quick read and it did seem somewhat characteristic of the cozy mystery genre overall.

[Jody Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a honest ARC review. This book was so much better than I thought it was going to be. I actually give it more like 3.5 stars. It was a nice change up from what I usually read. I’ve read some “cozy mystery” books and it still would have some smut, violence, or the same story plot as all of the others. Sometimes I want just a good wholesome story. It was fast paced and I could not put it down. I completely guessed wrong bag guy which I can usually figure out within the first few chapters. I will definitely be picking up the other books for this series because I am now hooked. Thank you to the authors, Samuel DenHartog, for the ARC and the chance to read and review this book.

[Lindsay West · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this on a Goodreads giveaway. I learned from the comments that it’s AI generated which is disappointing. While I do love mystery/thrillers…The mystery isn’t based on a topic I’d choose to read. It revolves around property deeds and covering up hundred year old truths which isn’t something that is interesting to me. I was going to say I enjoyed the writing because within the library there are cozy vibes but the fact that that aspect of the book is more than likely all AI is annoying. The catching of the “bad guy” was very anticlimactic. It is a quick read though.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full disclosure- I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

It was exactly as one would think, a cozy mystery. It kind of felt like an episode of “murder She wrote” but not a good one. It lacked character development and perhaps that comes later as it appears this is a series?

It was not a bad read by any means, it was clean, which is always appreciated, and an easy read but definitely would have benefited from some a little more adventure, background building and character development.

[Courtney Pityer · Rating 5 out of 5]

(recovering from have knee surgery today so i'm going to be brief. Don't worry detailed reviews will return within a couple days) So I was fortunate to win another Kindle book giveaway. This is a modern day mystery that follows the adventures of a young girl named Margot. Overall the author did a very nice job of incorporating the story.

[Tammy Howard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to give bad reviews but this was just bad. And I love cozy mysteries. The author spent a lot of time describing how every room someone entered smelled like. Very slow paced and IMO uninteresting. I skimmed the last.third of the book. Why would I keep reading? Because I won book 2 in a giveaway and wanted to get acquainted with the characters. Here's hoping number two is better.

[Dee Cline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Library as crime scene

DenHartog is smart in his stories, this one kept me alert.
No major action, no overt violence, just quiet evil to be rooted out.

[kc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy his intriguing writing styles with unique descriptive phrases. Great characters and storyline.

[August Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

REALLY GOOD MYSTERY!

Ready for the next one! Margot is the person I would love to meet. She sees without seeing. She hears with no words being spoken!