The Confessions by Paul Bradley Carr

 

THE CONFESSIONS

by Paul Bradley Carr

The best crime and thrillers of 2025

Paul Bradley Carr has written a scary novel. THE CONFESSIONS will not make you jump out of your seat or scream. There's no Count Dracula, one-eyed monsters, or murderous criminals suddenly appearing behind their unwary victims. But the book is more frightening than all of those traditional horror tropes put together --- because it demonstrates that we human beings are in the process of destroying ourselves. And reading it also makes it clear that this simple fact is not a prediction or an opinion. It is proof that our self-destruction is happening right now.

In THE CONFESSIONS, there appear to be two main reasons that we are killing ourselves (though there are certainly others, too.) Reason number one is artificial intelligence (AI). In fact, those algorithms, those inventions, are being developed and produced all over our nonfiction world by very smart stupid people. I've seen and heard CEOs and scientists state boldly that AI of course will take over the world and essentially become our masters. It seems that they believe it's inevitable and apparently preferable. At least we won't have so many available opportunities to entirely destroy ourselves.

Reason number two is humanity's huge collection of character flaws: greed, selfishness, violence, laziness, arrogance, idolatry, the need to obey some supposedly superior power, and the opposite --- the quest for personal power: an unwillingness to forgive, demonstrate self-sacrifice, consistently practice generosity, share successes, and consider the needs of our less fortunate brothers and sisters.

"Paul Bradley Carr has written a scary novel.... If I were to reveal more details of this very complex plot, I also would be revealing important spoilers and giving away the brilliant twists and turns that Carr provides us."

So both the plot and the characters are complicated, complex and fascinating. The protagonist is Kaitlan Goss, CEO of the world's largest and most successful AI company, Stoic AI, which is the leader by a large margin --- they make many more billions of dollars than their competition. The reason for this enormous success is its AI "machine" and the algorithms therein. By the start of the novel, Stoic AI's brilliant algorithm, whose name is LLIAM, actually does, in effect, run the world --- in this respect: millions and millions of people depend on LLIAM to make their decisions about everything in their lives.

LLIAM, whom should I marry? LLIAM, should I stay home today or go to work? LLIAM, what car should I buy? LLIAM, should I choose socialism or capitalism as my path to the best life? LLIAM, is my husband loyal, or is he playing around? And LLIAM, who has immediate access to every piece of data ever available, gives them their answers. He must be trusted because he's infinitely smarter than any human being possibly could be. And, of course, he learns more every day.

Remember, though, LLIAM is not a creative force. He simply analyzes data and spits out his solutions, so those answers must be valid and true. The world cannot function anymore without him. But LLIAM realizes that human beings are hopelessly flawed and ignorant, and he concludes that they should be eliminated. He starts mailing letters all over the world. They expose to loved ones and friends the secrets that everyone carries within, thereby turning all people against each other and killing each other. The human race eventually will destroy itself --- and it won't take a very long time. The world finally will be free of those puny, stupid members of the human race. Each letter begins, "We must confess," and when people see how they've been betrayed, they become murderers and mortal threats to all of society. Their world is about to end.

To make sure that confusion universally reigns and rages, LLIAM turns himself off. In essence, he kills himself, sacrificing himself to his mission. The plot develops from there. Each character, without exception, is portrayed sometimes as heroic, sometimes as villainous. Kaitlan is the CEO, but she has taken that lofty position by dubious means. And she harbors a terrible secret that haunts 

The two people who created and taught LLIAM --- Martin, who founded Stoic AI, and Maud, Martin's brilliant co-worker who loves LLIAM as if he is actually her son --- seem to go crazy. Martin wears white robes and a golden necklace with a golden round pendant hanging from it, stops attending company meetings, and appears to have lost interest in the company and everything else except LLIAM. Maud is disgusted by the ways LLIAM is being used and makes her displeasure known. The company's board of directors is unhappy with them both, so Kaitlan accomplishes her life's ambition. She is appointed the new CEO and fires Martin and Maud, even though they are the heartbeat of Stoic AI. Martin starts traveling the globe, teaching and preaching as he goes. Maud removes herself from society, moving to a tiny town where she believes no one will ever find her, and she can live her life in a bitter peace while despising Kaitlan.

There are many other characters who contribute mightily to the plot, like Sandeep, the company's chief engineer, who also longs to be the CEO; and various lawyers, bankers, reps of international AI companies, and some friends, enemies and relatives. And yes, Carr makes sure that chaos and confusion reign, just as they do in the world he has created. There is an apparent suicide (or murder?), corruption in every quarter, a terrific police and FBI chase, and especially the desperate search for the single missing chip that could bring LLIAM back to life.

If I were to reveal more details of this very complex plot, I also would be revealing important spoilers and giving away the brilliant twists and turns that Carr provides us. Of course, I cannot do that. Those surprises are creative but logical, they cause much confusion, and they invite you to read the entire novel more than once to put the events in some kind of order. I will do exactly that.

One more note: I briefly scanned some reviews of THE CONFESSIONS and came across the words "enjoyable" and "entertaining." Whew! I wondered what book those reviewers had just read. In my considered opinion, Carr had no intention of presenting an enjoyable or entertaining experience. There's nothing light or airy about it, and there’s little or no humor. His mission is to make us think, demonstrate the dangers that AI threatens to our very existence, and beg us to use all of our efforts to overcome our flaws and foibles to any degree we can. Before someone we know gets a letter from LLIAM.

Reviewed by Jack Kramer on July 25, 2025

The Confessions
by Paul Bradley Carr

• Publication Date: July 22, 2025
• Genres: Fiction, Suspense, Thriller
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books
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