In She Didn’t See It Coming, the victim’s sister Lizzie is an avid participant in an online true-crime group, and the novel’s depiction of these groups is distinctly biased towards a negative portrayal. Specifically, Lapena creates an unflattering characterization of Lizzie in order to suggest that the people who contribute to such groups are lonely, attention-seeking, and morbid. Lizzie is described as a woman who lives alone with a “meager social life” (94), and although she is constantly seeking love, she never finds it. In the absence of a social life, she has become obsessed with participating in online communities that “try to solve actual crimes the police have failed to solve” (94). After her sister Bryden is murdered, Lizzie shares information about the investigation with the members of her online group in the hopes of uncovering information that the police have overlooked. However, the group does not make any concrete contributions to the case.

The novel derisively depicts these “amateur sleuths” as “crackpots,” and this pattern becomes apparent when Lizzie’s mother, Donna (who is generally the mature voice of reason in the work) counsels her daughter to let the police do their job. In a sharp contrast to Lizzie’s ill-advised sleuthing, the detectives are portrayed as highly competent and efficient, and they never learn anything from these online amateur sleuths that they do not already know. Thus, the novel implies that this kind of social media activity is toxic because it amplifies loneliness and isolation and disrupts real-world investigations. Lapena also makes it a point to critique the problematic nature of the real-world dynamics observed in true-crime groups, some of which have been accused of engaging in mob behavior and reckless speculation, as well as disrupting ongoing police investigations.

However, it is also important to note that despite the negative aspects of true-crime groups, some online amateur investigators have positively collaborated with law enforcement to solve crimes. A prime example can be found in the murder of Kristin Smart, the ongoing identification of the victims of Israel Keyes, and even the identification of the “internet killer” who is featured in the documentary Don’t F**k with Cats, which is briefly mentioned in the novel.