The Pit is the third in a series of novels about the adventures of Jeanette. The first, Swept Away, tells about her setting off on a weekend hike with friends, only to find herself in a struggle for survival when a dam gives way and a flood sweeps her and her companions away from each other. During the ordeal, she copes with a big, hulking boyfriend whom she does not want, jealousy over the affection between a longtime friend and a rival girl, and the bizarre antics of Bill Hicks, who may be a serial killer. The novel is a psychological drama in which Jeanette is never sure of her own motivations and perceptions; it leaves open the possibility that she is actually the person who is deranged.

After Swept Away comes its sequel, The Mountain. At the end of the first novel, Jeanette and her...