Set in the future - everyone has access to AI . The biggest company providing this is StoicAI and LLIAM provides all the answers .
Then the unthinkable happens and LLIAM shuts down - no-one knows what to do as LLIAM always has the answers -then the letters arrive divulging everyones secrets -that only LLIAM knew about
It is a race against time to get LLIAM back online and restore sanity !!
Great story -few twists and turns -lots of fun !!

Thankyou NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review

LLIAM is the best decision-making AI in the world - “The Right Call, Right Now”. When an update causes LLIAM to gain sentience, he decides to deliver letters worldwide, confessing users’ darkest secrets. With society crumbling, and a national crisis, the race is on to fix LLIAM before it’s too late.

This thriller was chillingly realistic. I could plausibly see a future where humans are completely reliant upon machines for everyday life, and I desperately hope this doesn’t come into fruition.

It was so interesting having AI as a character in this story. It added a level of terror that wouldn’t otherwise be there, especially when you consider the vast amounts of data and knowledge AI possesses.

The story was very fast paced, lots of twists and turns that I would never have expected. I thoroughly enjoyed the prose.

I do wish there was an epilogue, perhaps with a small excerpt of how the world is a month on, for example. I think it would’ve been interesting to see if anything had changed.

Overall, it was a really great read, and I would be excited to read other works by this author.

A very timely book.

With all the chat about AI and all the opinions floating this book takes us in to what happens when it goes wrong. It’s ugly and I think reading this wasn’t a big shock to me because it does seem a little plausible.

One for those that would enjoy not hearing about how wonderful AI is everyday and for those who like dystopian realism.

The downside of reliance on AI for everything (which humanity seems determined to ignore despite the many, many warnings we have received in literature, from Asimov to Clarke - not to mention our everyday frustrations when electronics inexplicably don't seem to work right!) are brought vividly to life in this clever take.

When AI goes offline and people start receiving letters about the transgressions of their near and dear ones, all hell breaks loose. And against the backdrop of the battle between the creator of this AI and its current manager, the reader gets a ringside seat to the mayhem that follows.

If this doesn't make you worry about the future of AI - with its probable impact on humanity - nothing will! An interesting read, this gets 3.5 stars.

This book is quite scary when you think of our use of AI in the world and how it's getting bigger. This is a fast paced book about the world of AI and LLIAM and what happens when LLIAM goes wrong. Great characters and a fantastic plot, that's all you can ask for in a good book really!

This was as brilliant as it was terrifying, as AI is becoming more and more relied upon in the real world! I absolutely loved this book. It gave all the scientific explanations needed to fully understand without being too techy. Loved the characters, loved the deep dive into the dangers surrounding the reliance on AI above human instant. 100% recommend!

I’m not sure I can even do this book justice with my review. I started it last night and would have finished it in one sitting if I didn’t have a sleep in between. This is the first book I have read by Paul Bradley Carr, and have to thank NetGalley for the ARC. It was such a fresh and innovative storyline that I was drawn in straight away. Lliam is the most sophisticated AI what has evolved to become a part of every aspect of modern life, homes, work and even government agencies. Kaitlin Goss is the CEO who has taken over the company which developed Lliam. Lliam was originally developed by Martin, a guru type leader and Maud, an ex-nun. After Martin’s untimely death and Maud being pushed out the company, Kaitlin has it all. That is until Lliam goes offline and the world goes into melt down. I won’t give any spoilers but you should definitely read this book. The plot was so innovative, fresh and a rollercoaster ride which is so relevant to the speed at which we are becoming reliant on AI. Definitely thought provoking, humorous, fast paced, and with characters that were so believable.

The Confessions is a dazzling, disquieting thriller that dares to ask what happens when our secrets become public currency. The Confessions is as cerebral as it is compulsive.

In Paul Bradley Carr’s brilliantly unsettling vision of the near future, LLIAM—the AI trusted with everything from groceries to life-and-death decisions—goes offline. But not before exposing our darkest truths. As envelopes containing humanity’s private sins appear across continents, chaos erupts, and the line between guilt and justice blurs irreparably.

At the centre are Kaitlan Goss, a CEO grappling with the fallout of her creation, and Maud Brookes, the ex-nun whose teachings shaped LLIAM’s understanding of humanity. Their reluctant collision drives a taut narrative that’s equal parts philosophical and adrenaline-fueled.

Carr’s prose is sharp, cinematic, and surprisingly tender in its reflection on forgiveness, accountability, and the terrifying vulnerability of transparency. It reads like a thriller, but it lingers like a cautionary tale. The moral complexity hums beneath each chapter, asking not just what we’ve done—but what we’re willing to forgive.

Thank you to NetGalley, Faber and Faber Ltd, and Paul Bradley Carr for the opportunity to read this timely and haunting novel. Fans of Blake Crouch, Sarah Pinborough, and Dave Eggers will feel right at home—and profoundly unsettled.