Culpability

A Novel

De: Bruce Holsinger

Narrado por: Stacy Carolan, January LaVoy

• Oprah’s Book Club Pick •

“I was riveted until the very last shocking sentence!”—Oprah Winfrey

“The most of-the-moment novel I’ve read all year, and it’s the book of the summer.”—Real Simple

Set at a summer rental on the Chesapeake Bay, a riveting family drama about moral responsibility in the age of artificial intelligence.

When the Cassidy-Shaws’ autonomous minivan collides with an oncoming car, seventeen-year-old Charlie is in the driver’s seat, with his father, Noah, riding shotgun. In the back seat, tweens Alice and Izzy are on their phones, while their mother, Lorelei, a world leader in the field of artificial intelligence, is absorbed in her work. Yet each family member harbors a secret that implicates them in the accident.

During a weeklong recuperation on the Chesapeake Bay, the family confronts the excruciating moral dilemmas triggered by the crash. Noah tries to hold the family together as a seemingly routine police investigation jeopardizes Charlie’s future. Alice and Izzy turn strangely furtive. And Lorelei’s odd behavior tugs at Noah’s suspicions that there is a darker truth behind the incident—suspicions heightened by the sudden intrusion of Daniel Monet, a tech mogul whose mysterious history with Lorelei hints at betrayal. When Charlie falls for Monet’s teenaged daughter, the stakes are raised even higher in this propulsive family drama that is also a fascinating exploration of the moral responsibility and ethical consequences of AI.

Culpability explores a world newly shaped by chatbots, autonomous cars, drones, and other nonhuman forces in ways that are thrilling, challenging, and unimaginably provocative.

To hear Oprah Winfrey interview author Bruce Holsinger, please visit the July 8 episode of the ‘Oprah’s Book Club: Presented by Starbucks’ podcast on the platform of your choice.

©2025 Bruce Holsinger (P)2025 Spiegel & Grau by Spotify Audiobooks

Fantastic!

Wow, this was just perfect. Great writing, great characters, gripping story, loved, loved, loved this!

Most culpable… Machine or man

I wasn’t completely sold on the way the book ended The book should’ve ended more with the question of who is or what is culpable.

Clarity of AI issues

Narrator was perfect. Story was very enlightening about AI. Characters believable and the exploration of the moral issues around AI.

So many twists

Very well written and I especially loved the excerpts from the fictional book that the main character’s wife wrote. Reminded me a lot of Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park with the fictional excerpts from Ian Malcolm about chaos theory

A must listen!

The story was so thought provoking and relevant. The voices in this production were excellent.

Lots of good twists

I was hooked on this book for days. I loved it until I got to the end. It’s like it was on a huge crescendo and then just fell. I appreciated the tying up of the bows, but would’ve loved a little more drama in the last 3 chapters. It’s a great book though, and the narrators were really quite good.

The concept of responsibility

A little slow in the beginning, but picked up mid book. Character development was good. Story line made you think

Outstanding!

Listened to this while working a long shift. Could not “put down.” Phenomenal! Loved the mini surprise at the end.

Captivating contemporary story!

Fast paced, intriguing story line. Thought provoking. Interesting character interplay. Couldn’t put it done. Loved it!!

terrific story

this works at several levels. a thriller a story about complex family relationships. Astoria of first Love and The haunting and ever-present capability and culpability of AI.

it's a true! Paige Turner. buy it now and enjoy!.