In October of 2003, a 19 year old named Cody considers joining the Army to fight in the Iraq War so that he can escape the boredom of small town Woodville, New Jersey. He finds a mysterious book that a strange man leaves behind at his mother's job. The book is about the Jersey Devil, a legendary demonic creature that haunts the Pine Barrens, a desolate wilderness that spans the middle of the state. The book inspires Cody to explore the Pine Barrens in search of the Jersey Devil. What he ends up finding changes his perception of reality. The Beast in the Pines is a disturbing novel that delves deep into the human psyche and bridges the gap between the psychological and supernatural horror genres.