Black Sunday is a novel which incorporates elements of many genres, among them the police procedural mystery, the suspense thriller, and the espionage novel. In their hunting of the terrorists, Harris's pursuers follow clues which ultimately lead them to the Super Bowl, while the way Harris cuts back and forth between his various settings in the Middle East and the United States builds suspense as the two sets of characters draw closer and closer until at last they face each other at the book's climax.

Harris employs an omniscient narrator who knows all the events, thoughts, and feelings related in the novel. Harris skillfully allows us entry into the minds of a number of characters, as well as occasional flashbacks to further illuminate their lives. This gives us great psychological insight and helps explain the motivation of even the most evil characters in the novel.