Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Are You Alone on Purpose? | 1994 | Nancy Werlin | Buy |
| 2 | The Killer’s Cousin | 1998 | Nancy Werlin | Buy |
| 3 | Locked Inside | 2000 | Nancy Werlin | Buy |
| 4 | Black Mirror | 2001 | Nancy Werlin | Buy |
| 5 | Double Helix | 2004 | Nancy Werlin | Buy |
| 6 | The Rules of Survival | 2006 | Nancy Werlin | Buy |
| 7 | And Then There Were Four | 2017 | Nancy Werlin | Buy |
| 8 | Zoe Rosenthal Is Not Lawful Good | 2021 | Nancy Werlin | Buy |
| 9 | Healer and Witch | 2022 | Nancy Werlin | Buy |
Nancy Werlin’s standalone novels cover a wide range of young adult fiction. Her early books, Are You Alone on Purpose? and The Killer’s Cousin, are realistic suspense stories about teenagers in difficult situations. Locked Inside and Black Mirror continued in the same vein, dealing with identity and moral choices. Double Helix from 2004 introduced science fiction elements through a story about genetic engineering.
The Rules of Survival from 2006 is a tense novel about children trying to escape an abusive parent, and it earned a National Book Award nomination. Her more recent standalones show continued range: And Then There Were Four tackles a group mystery, Zoe Rosenthal Is Not Lawful Good is a lighter story about fandom and identity, and Healer and Witch from 2022 is a historical novel set in medieval France. Across her career, Werlin has shown a willingness to try different genres while maintaining her focus on young characters dealing with problems that feel real and urgent.