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

Excellent novel ☆☆☆☆☆

Wow! I read hundreds of novels a year. This is one of the best! It's thought provoking, well paced. The characters are very well developed, the plot has some twists I surely did not see coming. And the ending was a bit jarring, thoughtful and informative. I could not put this one down.

Compelling & Thought Provoking

Loved the relevance of the AI narrative and spinning it into an intriguing and relatable storyline.

Compelling

I didn’t want to put it down. I had to see how the story unfolded. Great storytelling.

Book in total

Great book. Made AI so much more understandable. Well written and many good plots to keep you interested. Reader was awesome.

Philosophy Professor teaches Ethics

A powerful story with many twists and turns. The reality of the moral ethics of artificial intelligence.

A well read, and thought provoking story that touches on issues we all face today!

The relationships between family members, and how their interaction with AI and technology causes moral and ethical dilemmas, and psychological problems….made a fascinating read!

Fantastic narrator, gripping story

This book was audible’s version of a page turner. Don’t feel like getting into details, just read the description if it interests you buy it., you won’t be disappointed. I’m going to check out this authors other books

The twists and turns of family life.

The readers were especially good. Getting end of the personalities and voices of each character. Love the interaction of the family together and separately. It was a very good read.

Eye opening

The story gave us a real look into AI and workings behind the advancement of technology. Who is making them behave?

Writing

Narration was perfect and clear; and book was fabulous. Characters were authentic and well represented.