Zach’s Lie is a thriller. Thriller is a literary genre that creates feelings of excitement, suspense, uncertainty, and anxiety in the reader. Plot drives thrillers, and the antagonist’s actions set the plot in motion. In Zach’s Lie, Alonzo Aznar’s threats against the family’s safety drive the story. Aznar is a master criminal, and his unscrupulous actions create a personal crisis for Zach, who struggles to remain true to his values as the plot progresses. In a thriller, the stakes are high for both the antagonist and protagonist, which creates tension for the reader: Aznar faces prison if he does not stop Neil from testifying, and Zach and his family will die if Aznar finds them. Adding Peter’s threats and the responsibility of keeping Neil’s journal safe, Smith raises the stakes even higher for Zach, creating increasingly difficult situations for him to navigate, thereby increasing the opportunities for him to fail.

The David and Goliath set-up is common in thrillers. The thriller begins with the antagonist having the upper hand: At the story’s onset, the antagonist is all-powerful and has the resources and abilities to defeat the hero. The hero, in turn, is usually weak, underpowered, and begins the story at a strong disadvantage.