‘An absolute belter’ (Sarah Pinborough) – a high-concept AI thriller by a Silicon Valley journalist turned independent bookshop owner

Summary LLIAM, which groceries should I buy?LLIAM, should I apply for that promotion?LLIAM, should I kill my wife? LLIAM’s AI-generated answers power society – but today, he went offline. Stocks fell, stores shuttered, planes were grounded. And Kaitlan Goss, CEO of LLIAM’s parent company StoicAI, has to fix it. Then the letters arrive: identical white envelopes on every continent, containing people’s darkest secrets – affairs, family secrets, even murders. As people worldwide begin to confront their loved ones’ worst transgressions, Kaitlan races to find Maud Brookes, the ex-nun who taught LLIAM what it means to be human. Only Maud can bring LLIAM back online, and stem the tide of societal breakdown. But Maud doesn’t want to be found. She received a confession letter, too – about Kaitlan. Now the two women are forced into a deadly game of cat and mouse, while the whole world teeters on the brink of collapse. LLIAM, how do I save the world?