Very thought provoking- I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Would make for great discussion. A fantastic family drama.

Remember the movie Fatal Attraction and how it made people think twice about having a fling? Hopefully Culpability will make people think twice about texting and driving!

Beyond the predictable storyline about a privileged family who make some mistakes that end in tragedy, there is a more serious discussion about AI and its ramifications for society.

The ship has sailed on AI for better or worse, and the “warning” from this book is a bit too late. Still, some readers may not yet find their lives impacted and everything in this book will be pretty commonplace for folks in the next couple of years if it isn’t already. So, all of us should be more aware and careful about where we get our information and how we and our society and government are easy pawns of AI.

This is a quick read with few surprises and a predictable storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story had an air of mystery, suspense and creepiness that kept me reading as well as many points to ponder surrounding, AI, personal responsibility and parenting that I enjoyed. I found it to be a little long and lacking in the emotional connection I like to have with at least one character but overall it was an interesting and unique story that I think many will enjoy.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read it in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Meh. Not for me it seems. The story was messy at best, and adding in a second tragic situation didn’t help. The reveal of information in the end was a big let down. The ending did not satisfy. Found it ridiculous that a husband has no idea what his spouse is getting paid to do for work. He just cheerily accepts the consulting fees. Does this couple even talk? Apparently they don’t talk to their kids. Cranked out three of them and have no idea whats going on in their children’s lives. Hate to agree with Alice about anything but I did see where she was coming from with her two siblings both being treated as golden children who could do no wrong.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. The Cassidy-Shaw family is well-to-do, more than comfortable with wife, Lorilei a highly regarded expert in the field of A.I. and her husband, Noah, an attorney. Their three kids, Charlie, Alice and Izzy, have all the advantages of having two successful parents. A devastating accident on the way to a lacrosse tournament puts Charlie's bright future at risk. He is driving an A.I. directed vehicle and makes a sudden turn of the wheel after his sister, Alice, screams from the backseat. This series of events puts a downward spiral into place even after the family goes away a week after the wreck. Culpability touches on timely topics of A.I. and its changes to society, mostly in the negative aspect. It also is an in-depth look at the complexities of marriage and family dynamics. Culpability is a compelling story and was hard to put down.

A family’s autonomously driving car crashes into an oncoming car but whose fault is it? Noah, the father is in the passenger seat fully engrossed in his work on his laptop, his 17 year old son is in the “driver’s” seat and his wife (a top AI academic) is in the back also completely in her work. After the accident the family goes away to try and work through their feelings and heal from their physical and emotional injuries (including their two daughters who were also in the car). Each of the 5 family members is keeping a secret that may have led them to contribute to the accident. This novel, almost set up like a complex law school question looks into the new world of technology and how it affects us in every element of our life.


I have so much to say about this book but the short version is I absolutely loved it. I’m a tech lawyer so I almost felt as if this book was written for people like me who love to fiddle with these complex issues. The story is wonderful, the characters and the writing - all great. The audio was well done but I really think I loved being immersed in this one by reading the book. So many complicated current issues are brought up in the novel and done in such an intelligent way. I can see why this is an Oprah pick!

4.5 stars

Thanks you to Spiegel and Grau and NetGalley for the ARC to review

This book will raise your blood pressure, keep your hear thumping and keep you riveted until the very last page. Oprah Winfrey picked a definite winner with this book! Powerful! Thanks for the ARC!

I requested this one because I saw it reviewed a lot, not because it is my usual "type." I enjoyed it and the topic of the ethical use of AI is definitely topical. I will defer to 4 stars, but a 3.5 for me.

A moral dilemma of a story that features the implications and complications of a world with AI (which is becoming more realistic sounding by the day). It's really a family drama at heart. Would make for a fantastic book club read - there is SO much that could be discussed from this one. It's genuinely thought-provoking and compulsively readable.

4.5-5.0 Stars
Culpability
Bruce Holsinger

I enjoyed reading this novel immensely. As I grow older, I became aware that my favorite genre of reading material are books that make me think; that make me question; and stories that lead me to research. I am not sure if that is a category offered when we are asked to describe our favorite genre, but these are the books I am drawn to. I feel the author does an amazing job of asking the reader to look inside and think about morals, about responsibility, about family secrets and how those secrets influence the family stability and how family dysfunction can change everything so quickly. This story is so relevant right now, especially with AI research moving forward at lightning speed. As I was reading Culpability, I paused, I pondered, I researched, I questioned. I am very grateful that NetGalley gives me an opportunity to read new authors (to me) and revel in their astonishing work and encourages me to seek more outstanding literature.
I would like to Thank NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for the ebook of Culpability. My opinions are my own.

Read this if: you are interested in AI and/or books that give you a lot to think about.

Skip this if: you are in the mood for something purely plot-based.

Lorelai Shaw is a genius in her field of ethical philosophy. Her husband is a semi-successful lawyer, her son is a lacrosse star with a scholarship to UNC, her middle daughter is a typical moody teen, and her youngest is an easygoing elementary schooler. When they are involved in a deadly accident with her son at the wheel of their autodriving minivan, they decide to visit a vacation home to heal as a family. While there, things begin to unravel further as the reader questions who is truly culpable for the accident.

This is a hard book to summarize without spoilers, so just know that there is a lot more going on than I described! This book asks the reader to think deeply about AI and human culpability, and oftentimes I find that when a book has a point to make it hammers it home too hard but I do not think that that was the case here. Holsinger does a wonderful job at bringing idea for the reader to think about without ever giving a clearcut solution or pushing us too hard in any one direction. The plot and characters were engaging; everyone was complicated in an interesting way and he didn’t force anyone to serve as a caricature for the purposes of making a point. Just a heads up thought that I find AI and the debates about it to be particularly interesting which certainly added to my enjoyment of this novel; if those themes are not to your taste this book may not hit the same way for you.

I really enjoyed this novel by Bruce Holsinger. "Culpability" explores AI and if we can ever make AI "good." Can the trolley problem be solved by AI? Can we make AI moral? What happens when we put all of our trust and faith into AI? I loved the family drama of this book and the secrets that came out as we progressed. I'd recommend this book to anyone that enjoys lit fic, family drama, and grappling with moral dilemmas. Thanks to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for this eARC.

Once I started this book it was hard for me to put it down. The author writes a thought provoking book especially in our time of rising AI. Each character in the novel expresses their feelings in the fatal accident. Their own personal reflection and culpability is the driving force of this novel. The author does an exceptional job of character development as he allows us to see both sides of this new technology. Well done and highly recommend this intriguing novel. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eGalley. All opinions expressed are truly my own.
#Culpability #BruceHolsinger #NetGalley #Spiegel&Grau

I love a book that really makes you think, and Bruce Holsinger's CULPABILITY delivers. It's not just about the unforeseen consequences and moral dilemmas that arise when a family gets in a fatal accident in a self-driving car; it's about all the ways we look the other way when danger lies ahead—in our jobs, in our relationships, and when our own priorities are on the line. Culpability is more than just a title; it's a theme that arises in every character arc—from the father riddled with guilt and worry to the teenager who still has a lot of growing up to do to the child who is fed up with being a lonely, overlooked passenger. I could not think of a more timely novel to recommend. This one will stay with me for a long time.

This was a complex and layered family drama that explores the ethics and morality of AI and what the potential consequences might be as society comes to depend on it more and more. Told through alternating perspectives we get to know a family of five as they take their AI self-driving car to a lake house only for there to be a terrible accident in which two people are killed. What follows in the aftermath is how this incident affects each of the family members differently. I thought it was okay on audio (I didn't love the narrators) and didn't really connect with the characters much either. The parents seem to leave their kids on their own a lot, allowing them to make a series of poor choices. That said, I think the themes the book explores are important ones and I can see why it was chosen for the Oprah Book Club. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio and digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Culpability
By Bruce Holsinger

This is a cautionary tale. It deals with a subject that we are hearing more and more about, while knowing/understanding less and less about – AI.

While the story here is entertaining, the best parts of the book deal with the advantages possible to be gained from Artificial Intelligence and also the dangers of AI developing unchecked because it outstrips our understanding. There are two scenarios which illustrate both points. First is the Cassidy-Shaw family car wreck while driving a self-driving car which results in two deaths. On the other hand, a major search and rescue mission has a positive ending primarily because of the use of drones.

Mr. Holsinger makes the point that AI is NOT human and does not have ethics or morals or emotions. AI, unlike humans, is ruled by algorithms. The mind of AI is not reined in by the things that make us human. Therefore, according to this book, those who develop and use AI must be culpable for the things done via Artificial Intelligence.

Artificial Intelligence is a scary subject that we must all wrap our minds around. This book shows us that Mr. Holsinger has indeed given it great thought.

Thanks to the Publisher and Net galley for this ARC.

Gripping and thought provoking! Bruce Holsinger has written a timely novel with a unique premise full of insight about technology’s impact on our society.

Mixing family drama with the moral questions of today’s technology, Holsinger pulls the reader into a captivating story about artificial intelligence and its ethics. Full of twists, corporate secrets, romance and mystery, I could not put this book down.

Noah and Lorelei along with their three children are involved in a deadly car accident while using a self driving car. Their seventeen year old son is in the driver seat. Thus begins, the complex issue of responsibility in the era of artificial intelligence. The problems set forth in the novel pertain to our lives today and the consequences of this technology both pro and con make a fascinating basis to Culpability.

I will be highly recommending this novel and adding it to my favorites for 2025. A five star novel and the perfect pick for book club discussions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for the advanced reader’s copy.

Culpability (great title for this novel) is a must read for anyone struggling with the ethics in the world of AI, which in current society should be and probably is everyone. This novel takes the reader on a journey about AI, familial relationships, and secrets. The family is involved in a car crash, and the 17-year-old son, Charlie, is the one driving - who is responsible is a question that the book wrestles with throughout, so I will certainly not reveal any of those details in this review. As this tragedy evolves, we dig deeper into the relationship of the parents, the brilliant AI expert, Lorelei, and her lawyer husband, Noah, and how he is the backbone of this family - or as he states it in the book - the scaffolding of the family. The two younger children are also affected by this accident, and the reader discovers more about it through them as well - other details I do not want to reveal - but read the book and find out.

This book wrestles with AI and its uses, both good and bad, in today's society; it wrestles with family relationships and the pressures that parents put on their children, and it wrestles with the themes of guilt, blame, and trust. I highly recommend this read and thank both NetGalley and the publisher Spiegel & Grau for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good book exploring the other side of high tech - with a self-driving car. It's not all wonderful! Lots of twists and turns in this novel! I really enjoyed it! Brought up ethics regarding AI and corporations hiding secrets. Also had intrigue, and romance! Gave me much to think about before I purchase a smart car!!! It is a fast-paced book that left me uneasy - but in a good way! Also had plenty of happy endings - I always love those!

What I enjoyed:
Timely read
Thought provoking
Page turner

Author Bruce Holsinger used a unique premise for his story…a premise I have never read before. I don’t have a whole lot of experience with AI. It does appear AI is everywhere and quite controversial at times. From book content, to book covers and even the responsibility of autonomous driving cars in accidents, which is the premise in Culpability…a suspenseful family drama about moral responsibility in the age of artificial intelligence.

Oprah picked Culpability for her July book club and I think this is a thought provoking novel that would make a great book club discussion. I enjoyed this book from start to finish. If you are interested in reading chatbots, autonomous cars, drones, and other nonhuman forces in ways that are thrilling, and challenging, this book is for you!

I received an advanced electronic copy from publisher Spiegel and GrauSimon and Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview this book. All opinions are my own.