Lynn Hall's books for young adult readers often center on difficult, sensitive, and controversial themes. For example, The Boy in the Off-White Hat treats the problem of sexual molestation; Fair Maiden deals with the loss of virginity; The Solitary focuses on such issues as alcoholism and learning disorders; The Giver involves a school girl's romantic feelings toward her middle-aged teacher; and the teenage hero of Halsey's Pride battles the stigma of epilepsy. But Hall has also written many books offering lighter fare, more reminiscent of Murder in a Pig's Eye.

Often thse books combine the plot of a mystery story and a central concern with animals, especially dogs and horses. In Ride a Dark Horse, for instance, Hall writes knowledgeably about the world of horse racing, even as she recounts an exciting murder mystery. Other books about horses include the trilogy initiated by A Horse Called...