The Biggest Differences Between Netflix's Things Heard & Seen And The Book

One of the biggest questions in the book is whether or not George really murders his wife Catherine. The book starts with the day after the murder, when George arrives home from work to supposedly discover his wife murdered in her bed. By the end of the book, it's pretty obvious that George is at fault, but nothing comes of it until 30 years later, when new evidence emerges. The author, Brundage, was influenced by a cold case from Rochester, New York from 1982, when Cathleen Krauseneck was found in her bed murdered by an axe, with her 3-year-old daughter elsewhere in the house. Thankfully, after almost 40 years, the husband was arrested in late 2019 and is currently awaiting trial (via Democrat & Chronicle).

Considering this influence, the guilt on George's part is pretty clear, but part of the point of the book is that there isn't enough evidence, both for the police in the story and the reader, to convict him. Purposely, the book doesn't include a scene of the actual murder, so it's hard to know for sure what happened. In the movie, the audience sees George murder Catherine and then stage the crime scene. At first, it seems like he might get away with all of his crimes, but then Justine wakes up and intends to tell the police the truth. George attempts to run away, but in the end his crimes catch up to him, and he's pulled down to Hell, literally.