Because crime fiction focuses primarily on the protagonist’s intent to solve (or commit) a crime, novels that fall into this category typically describe the crime itself and the resulting investigation. Within these confines, the tone of each story and the role of the protagonists vary widely from novel to novel, but whether the main character seeks justice for the crime or proves to be the perpetrator, the plot inevitably builds to a final revelation of the underlying mystery. While the structure of the psychological thriller has much in common with run-of-the-mill crime fiction, the plotlines are often more deeply convoluted and feature multiple twists and red herrings. Such novels also focus more closely on the internal psychological landscapes of specific characters, who are often morally ambiguous at best, and serial killers frequently feature as the antagonists.

As a commercial psychological thriller within the broader genre of crime fiction, The Good Lie plays on many standard tropes to both meet and subvert audience expectations. Most notably, the novel modifies the standard trope in which the primary characters work to catch a serial killer; in this case, the serial killer appears to be “caught” at the very start of the novel, but the author also makes it clear that

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