False Witness

False Witness is a psychological thriller by Karin Slaughter. It tells the story of two sisters, Callie and Leigh Collier, who are bound by a secret: As teenagers, they killed the man who was sexually abusing Callie. Twenty-three years later, the murder catches up with them when the son of the dead man reveals that he knows what they’ve done—and has it all on videotape. Karin Slaughter is a best-selling author who has written 21 novels and sold more than 40 million copies.

The edition referred to in this study guide is from HarperCollins Publishers, London, 2021.

Content Warning: False Witness and this study guide include discussions of pedophilia, rape, rape of a child, child abuse, graphic substance use, substance use disorder, murder, physical assault, sexual assault, suicidal ideation, and suicide.

Plot Summary

False Witness is told by an omniscient third-person narrator, with the focus shifting between sisters Leigh (Harleigh) and Callie (Calliope). The narrative also jumps back and forth between the book’s present, 2021, and the past, 1998. In 1998, Callie and Leigh killed Buddy Waleski. Callie had been babysitting for Buddy and his wife, Linda, taking care of their son, Trevor, for two and a half years.