Mary Jane Clark's Dancing in the Dark is a drop-dead frightening novel about the seaside town of Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Teenage girls have been disappearing in this idyllic community and new correspondent Diane Mayfield comes to town to investigate another story and gets involved in the disappearances of the girls. This book is full of twists and turns and has an interesting thread on the predatory nature of the media.

Dying Breath by Wend Corsi Staub has Cam Hastings visiting the Jersey Shore with her daughter and hoping that the time will away will save her failing marriage. Cam has spent years trying to drown the visions that she has of missing children in a bottle. This aspect of her personality has ruined many relationships. In this book (this is a series) Cam steps over the edge and acts on one of her missing children visions.

Author Beth Sherman writes and entire mystery series that takes place on the Jersey Shore. Dead Man's Float (1998), Death at High Tide (1999), Death's Beach(2000), The Devei and the Deep Blue Sea (2001) and Murder Down the Shore (2002).