Cross is known for novels that involve tough situations. Her awardwinning novel On the Edge treats themes of identity and family relations through a kidnaping by a terrorist couple determined to destroy the family unit. The victim, a teenager named Tug, must preserve his identity while meeting demands to call the couple his parents. In the novel A Map of Nowhere, young Nick Miller must choose whether he will betray a new, close friend for the adventure of riding with his older brother's thieving gang of bikers. Failed family relationships figure prominently in this novel, as they do in Chartbreaker.