{
"item_title" : "The Confessions",
"item_author" : [" Paul Bradley Carr "],
"item_description" : "A high-octane and hugely entertaining (Chris Pavone, New York Times bestselling author) thriller about a supercomputer and the secrets we keep from one another--perfect for fans of Blake Crouch, Harlan Coben, and Gillian Flynn. Millions of letters arrive in the mail.Murders are uncovered, affairs revealed, family secrets exposed.These are the first Confessions.This is our last chance. LLIAM is the world's most powerful supercomputer, built to make the toughest decisions for its users. Where to work, who to marry, and even who should live or die. But when LLIAM suddenly goes offline with no explanation, the world is thrust into chaos, paralyzed by indecision. Stocks plummet, stores are shuttered, planes sit grounded on runways as humanity scrambles to re-adapt to an uncertain, analog world. Then the first letters arrive...on every continent, in every language, mysterious envelopes arrive in the mail, exposing people's darkest secrets, and most shocking crimes. All beginning with the same chilling words: We must confess. With millions of people suddenly made to confront their past transgressions, and society fast unraveling, CEO Kaitlan Goss must track down the only person who can help undo the resulting violent chaos: Maud Brookes, an ex-nun who taught LLIAM what it means to be human. But when Maud receives a letter herself, revealing Kaitlan's own unforgivable sin, the two women are forced into a deadly game of deceit as the world teeters on the brink. A timely, ticking clock thriller with unforgettable characters and psychological twists and turns you won't see coming. Read it. You won't regret it (Sarah Pinborough, author of We Live Here Now).",
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A high-octane and "hugely entertaining" (Chris Pavone, New York Times bestselling author) thriller about a supercomputer and the secrets we keep from one another--perfect for fans of Blake Crouch, Harlan Coben, and Gillian Flynn.Millions of letters arrive in the mail. Murders are uncovered, affairs revealed, family secrets exposed. These are the first Confessions. This is our last chance. LLIAM is the world's most powerful supercomputer, built to make the toughest decisions for its users. Where to work, who to marry, and even who should live or die. But when LLIAM suddenly goes offline with no explanation, the world is thrust into chaos, paralyzed by indecision. Stocks plummet, stores are shuttered, planes sit grounded on runways as humanity scrambles to re-adapt to an uncertain, analog world. Then the first letters arrive...on every continent, in every language, mysterious envelopes arrive in the mail, exposing people's darkest secrets, and most shocking crimes. All beginning with the same chilling words: "We must confess." With millions of people suddenly made to confront their past transgressions, and society fast unraveling, CEO Kaitlan Goss must track down the only person who can help undo the resulting violent chaos: Maud Brookes, an ex-nun who taught LLIAM what it means to be human. But when Maud receives a letter herself, revealing Kaitlan's own unforgivable sin, the two women are forced into a deadly game of deceit as the world teeters on the brink. "A timely, ticking clock thriller with unforgettable characters and psychological twists and turns you won't see coming. Read it. You won't regret it" (Sarah Pinborough, author of We Live Here Now).
LLIAM, an AI chatbot created by tech company StoicAI, has been online for eight years. In that time, billions of people around the world have been off-loading their every decision onto LLIAM’s virtual plate. Who should I date (or marry, or divorce)? Should I apply for (or quit) this job? What should I eat? Or wear? LLIAM’s been handling it all.
But as Paul Bradley Carr’s suspenseful technothriller The Confessions opens, that blissful dependence comes to a shocking end when LLIAM suddenly goes offline. At the same time, letters arrive in mailboxes around the world, all declaring “We must confess.”
LLIAM’s spilling the tea, and it’s boiling hot; transgressions by liars, cheaters, manipulators and even murderers are laid bare. And Carr adds in an even more devilishly inventive twist: Nobody knows who has or hasn’t received a letter, so fear of discovery mingles with intense suspicion as chaos erupts worldwide.
At StoicAI headquarters, staff are panicking and investors are demanding answers from CEO Kaitlan Goss, who took the helm after founder Martin Drake, viewed as the father of LLIAM, died. Alas, Kaitlan doesn’t know how or why LLIAM went offline or if it can be restored, and CTO Sandeep Dunn is acting cagey because he wants Kaitlan’s job.
Kaitlan knows she must turn to Maud—an ex-nun Martin hired to “act as an ‘empathetic’ advisor” and LLIAM’s de facto mother—for help, but she’s been living off-grid since Kaitlan unceremoniously fired her. (And, unbeknownst to Kaitlan, she’s received a damning LLIAM-letter about the CEO.) Can Kaitlan convince her to return to Silicon Valley before she loses her job and humanity loses its way?
A wild road trip ensues, filled with high-stakes danger and action, plus lots of provocative debate about how AI can help and hurt society. Advanced tech isn’t automatically infallible, but what happens when a critical mass of wealthy, influential people decide it is?
Former tech journalist Carr poses that and many other intriguing questions in The Confessions, an entertaining, thought-provoking cautionary tale that prompts readers to consider the human cost of unchecked technological innovation.
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