The setting of the Pine Barrens of New Jersey and local legends like that of the Jersey Devil provide this novel with its unique atmosphere. Ariel Spencer a sensitive artist is an emotionally troubled woman who has repressed memories stemming from her father's death. Her younger son Jim Spencer is a teenager entering his first year of high school. He makes friends with Sara Woodson who turns out to be a distant cousin; together they end up discovering two dead bodies and some surprising truths. Unfortunately the trail of evidence leads the police to Jim's immediate family specifically his mother Ariel which causes Jim to assume the role of amateur sleuth. Jim will need the assistance of his older brother Raven who possesses "the third eye " to get to the bottom of the disturbing and mysterious murders before they become the next victims "