Although the novel’s young protagonist, Brynn, is a student and intern pursuing true-crime journalism, the novel questions the ethics of the true-crime genre on multiple fronts. The novel ends with Brynn taking her internship back, so clearly the novel does not take the stance that true-crime journalism is inherently or always immoral. However, the novel does take the stance that true-crime reporting is a special type of journalism that comes with its own boundaries and ethical considerations. A variety of issues are shown in the novel, ranging from large-scale violations that are clearly immoral, such as Gunnar completely fabricating stories and trying to pass them off as true, to smaller transgressions, such as those committed by Brynn, Carly, and other characters who are generally well-meaning and not villains like Gunnar.

Gunnar’s outright lies are obviously wrong because they mislead people while the show is advertised as “true crime.” Gunnar sensationalizes crime and murder for entertainment purposes. For example, he gets Lisa Marie to pretend she’s the heartbroken mother of a child murderer because he thinks this would make a juicy story. Fame is Gunnar’s only consideration, and he does not care if he ruins lives in the process.