Hey, it’s Diego.

This week, I read The Culpability by Bruce Holsinger.

The book addresses very cutting-edge topics related to the current use of AI in our society from a thriller-drama perspective.

I avoided this one for a couple of weeks because the cover doesn’t scream thriller, and I wasn’t even sure it was catalogued correctly.

But I’ve read it, enjoyed it, and here to talk about it.

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Culpability by Bruce Holsinger (A Review)

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, implicating them all in the tragic accident.

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger is a domestic thriller set in Chesapeake Bay.

Holsinger’s writing is highly technical and polished. Although dialogue and thoughts sound natural, descriptions can be clinical, which fits the subject matter. The book is mostly a family drama wrapped in an Artificial Intelligence discussion about who’s at fault when AI systems go haywire. And although it benefited from a fast start, the middle sagged while the story found its direction.

We follow Noah, the father, as events unfold in a single timeline. The story has some thrilling moments during the second half, but it’s primarily about a family's struggle to overcome a traumatic event in a cabin on the Chesapeake Bay.

Noah is a proactive character, and if you don’t know much about AI, don’t worry, he doesn’t either. He is the audience’s stand-in as he navigates the culpability issues when AI systems are involved, and more clever characters explain those implications to him. If you find AI interesting, you’ll find the moral and ethical conundrums interesting.

The themes of this book are very on the nose. This story serves as a warning to humanity about the dangers of unsupervised AI, and ultimately, we are the ones responsible for everything the AI does.

There is no romance, no swearing, and no scenes of violence.

So, what about the ending? (No spoilers, obviously)

The ending wrapped all the threads nicely. There is a fitting denouement, too, where we find out the fate of all the characters.

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger reads as an essay sometimes, as a family drama other times, and as a light thriller the rest of the time. I found it easy to read and to follow, but I’m very up-to-date on AI developments.

This book is a hard one to recommend. I think if AI interests you, but you don’t follow it daily or weekly, I would say this is a good one to pick up. Otherwise, if you are not interested in AI, you may find the book preachy. If you, like me, are very up-to-date on AI developments, you may find it doesn’t add anything new to the ongoing conversations around the use of AI. You may still want to read it for the drama and thriller aspects, though.

This Week’s Update

• The Thing with Feathers – A psychological thriller film starring Benedict Cumberbatch. The story deals with grief, a father’s unraveling, and a haunting presence after his wife’s death. Released on November 21st.

That’s all for this week. See you next time.

— Diego Dunne

P.S. Let me know how I did today by replying to this email.

P.P.S. I would love to hear your recommendations for thrillers you loved. Reply to this email and I’ll add them to my TBR list. Thanks!