What do you think?
Rate this book
The Jersey Devil
Something or someone in southern New Jersey is disemboweling its victims and ripping off their limbs. Detective Hunter Matthews thinks it’s an escaped psychopath. Paranormal journalist Casey Windall thinks it’s a legendary creature called, the Jersey Devil. As the body count rises, the clues make no sense. Hunter and Casey team up and enter a world where folklore comes alive and thirsts for blood.Crisscrossing the dense and shadowy Pine Barrens of south Jersey, the two begin to bond over more than just strange folklore. They also uncover a secret past that neither one could have expected.Is it possible to kill the beast? Hunter and Casey have to decide if their actions will increase the creature’s reign of terror or return the Jersey Devil to being the scary campfire story everyone remembers from their childhood.
284 pages, Paperback
First published May 14, 2014
14 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
J.J. Crane
6 books6 followersI’m a lifelong resident of New Jersey. I’ve been writing since high school. In college, I ventured into the realm of television production where I eventually evolved into writing promotions and tv ads for many years.
My first book, The Jersey Devil, evolved from a short story. I wanted to make that story the prologue but realized it wouldn't fit right. It turned out that it had nothing to do with how the story in the book came to be.
Just Beyond the Shadows came about because my kids loved watching, Finding Bigfoot, and wanted to know if I could or had written anything about Bigfoot. I've always found the topic fascinating. I decided to try my hand at writing something that would respect those who legitimately put their passion and belief in finding this creature. I read several books on the topic and even participated in a BFRO sponsored search out in Pennsylvania. I wanted to get to know some of the people who took part in these research expeditions. Some of the horror scenes that unfold in the book I conjured up in my mind while sitting in the dark, gazing through infra-red cameras and making calls. I found the people who went to these events, wonderful, passionate folks who display a great knowledge base for the subject.
Outpost 9 came about from my experience without power for 10 days when Superstorm Sandy struck the northeast. If you lose power for a day or two, things are fairly normal. When it goes for more than that, I began to see strange people roaming the area I'd never seen before. I walk our neighborhood a lot, so I have a basic idea who is out and about on a semi-regular basis and who's not. I began to see a lot of people I've never laid eyes on before. Spotting one or two people like that is one thing, when they start exceeding the count on your hand, it becomes another matter. The images that swirled through my mind began to make it to the written page.
Again, as I wrote, I researched and I began to read a lot of the genre. Rather than have my character be someone who is waiting for an end-of-the-world type of event, or a super hero military guy, I went for the average guy who had a mild interest in prepping. I wanted him to have flaws and doubts. I didn't want the character to be perfect when the SHTF.
Writing is a terrific journey. I hope those folks who read my work, enjoy it. I am always open to conversation or answering questions about what I have written or about the art of writing. Reach out if you have questions - I will always try to respond.
My first book, The Jersey Devil, evolved from a short story. I wanted to make that story the prologue but realized it wouldn't fit right. It turned out that it had nothing to do with how the story in the book came to be.
Just Beyond the Shadows came about because my kids loved watching, Finding Bigfoot, and wanted to know if I could or had written anything about Bigfoot. I've always found the topic fascinating. I decided to try my hand at writing something that would respect those who legitimately put their passion and belief in finding this creature. I read several books on the topic and even participated in a BFRO sponsored search out in Pennsylvania. I wanted to get to know some of the people who took part in these research expeditions. Some of the horror scenes that unfold in the book I conjured up in my mind while sitting in the dark, gazing through infra-red cameras and making calls. I found the people who went to these events, wonderful, passionate folks who display a great knowledge base for the subject.
Outpost 9 came about from my experience without power for 10 days when Superstorm Sandy struck the northeast. If you lose power for a day or two, things are fairly normal. When it goes for more than that, I began to see strange people roaming the area I'd never seen before. I walk our neighborhood a lot, so I have a basic idea who is out and about on a semi-regular basis and who's not. I began to see a lot of people I've never laid eyes on before. Spotting one or two people like that is one thing, when they start exceeding the count on your hand, it becomes another matter. The images that swirled through my mind began to make it to the written page.
Again, as I wrote, I researched and I began to read a lot of the genre. Rather than have my character be someone who is waiting for an end-of-the-world type of event, or a super hero military guy, I went for the average guy who had a mild interest in prepping. I wanted him to have flaws and doubts. I didn't want the character to be perfect when the SHTF.
Writing is a terrific journey. I hope those folks who read my work, enjoy it. I am always open to conversation or answering questions about what I have written or about the art of writing. Reach out if you have questions - I will always try to respond.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 13, 2026
I read some not-so-great reviews on this book, so I was hesitant, but I ended up really enjoying it. I thought this was a terrific take on the Jersey Devil lore, and I'm not just saying this because I'm a lifelong Jersey native. I'm saying this as a cryptid junkie, too. The characters were fully explored and the writing itself was simple, yet effective. The story had a lot of twists and turns, and didn't conclude any way that I imagined, but was much better than anticipated. Lots of action, tense moments, swerves that kept you guessing, all mixed a subtle amount of violence, this was a solid page-turner of a creature feature. My only minor critique here was that there needed to be some clear scene divisions included. It just created a little confusion, as things seemed to jump around at times, not due to choppy writing, but simply due to some unclear scene breaks.
July 24, 2019
Farm animals are mutiliated and a series of murders is keeping the police busy. What or better who is behind those atrocities? Can Detective Hunter solve the mystery and what is Casey's (she's a journalist writing for a supernatural magazine) role? The author takes you on an entertaining, eerie and compelling rollercoaster ride through the Pine Barrens. Is it an escaped lunatic who committed all those terrible crimes or is it something else? This is the definitive tale of the 'Jersey Devil'. Well plotted, intriguing with a great twist at the end. Dorothy is more than a friendly old woman and curator of a local history museum... I really enjoyed the fast paced and page turning story based on an old lore. Absolutely recommended!
May 26, 2015
Goodreads recommended this book. I bought it via Amazon. If you have ever gone to the Jersey Shore chances are you traveled through the Pine Barrens. They are creepy enough when in your car on the GS Parkway. Never mind lost on the side roads. JJ Crane puts you right in the center of them with the added urban legend. Very scary and unpredictable. I loved it.
October 11, 2015
I know a little about the folklore of the Jersey Devil. I thought this was an interesting take on the legend. Enjoyed it.
January 31, 2018
A new approach
An approach to this urban legend that I had never encountered before. It made for a nice twist. Highly recommended
An approach to this urban legend that I had never encountered before. It made for a nice twist. Highly recommended
October 4, 2022
"Welcome" to Jersey
Living in the southern area of New Jersey, one can't help but seek out the Leeds/Jersey Devil. The intriguing build up to the end was extraordinary. The escalation of events and their eventual connection made for a story worthy of casting New Jersey's state demon as the main character.
Living in the southern area of New Jersey, one can't help but seek out the Leeds/Jersey Devil. The intriguing build up to the end was extraordinary. The escalation of events and their eventual connection made for a story worthy of casting New Jersey's state demon as the main character.
August 15, 2019
I actually enjoyed most of it, particularly being called a piney but it was pretty poorly done.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews