The Rivals by Jane Pek is the follow up to her previous novel, The Verifiers, which follows Claudia and her coworkers as they are hired to verify that people are who they say they are in their dating profiles (and also stopping the Matchmakers from an increasingly dangerous plot).

The context of this mystery series is what has kept me hooked through the first two books. It is asking questions about data privacy, what it means to exist in online spaces, humanity, faith in others, and the role of apps and corporations in our lives, all while set in the context of a mystery procedural. I will definitely be picking up the next book in this series.

A sequel to Pek’s first novel — The Verifiers. Oddly enough, my review of the first book could be used almost verbatim for the second (with a few modifications which I have made below.
Claudia Lin is the tiny, stereotype-busting, Asian, lesbian, bicyclist hero of this tongue-in-cheek, semi-snarky, story of an amateur detective gone wild. Having become partner at the dating detective agency she joined in book one, she continues to ignore protocol and refuses to stop looking into a dead “almost client” whose death was ruled accidental. And so it goes…

The mystery lives within an interesting premise — online matchmaking systems using ”synths” in an AI conspiracy to control the masses. Claudia (and obviously the author) is an inveterate reader, and I enjoyed her literary asides and the source of Claudia’s detective know-how — the (fictional) mystery series starring the philosophical Inspector Yuan. Some interesting, novel like explorations of the life and background of Claudia and her family — including hopeful forays into a love life for each sibling that is hemmed in by the residue of a somewhat standard immigrant parent backstory. It’s a bit of a genre mishmash that started as a lot of fun with well-drawn characters but ultimately took too long to get to a reasonable end. And while I enjoyed Claudia in the first book, she kind of started to annoy me in the second.

I really enjoyed this tech / ethics driven mystery interlaced with family drama, romantic interests, and self discovery.

The Rivals is a sequel centered around young adult Claudia, as she and her colleagues try to get to the bottom of some suspicious deaths. It's equal parts whodunit, philosophy and technological ethics, and fun fiction!

Thank you to Netgalley and to Knopf, Pantheon, and Vintage for an ARC.

The second Claudia Lin book is perhaps even better than the first- the world of the matchmaking apps and verifiers is well established, and we really get to sink into Claudia as an investigator of all sorts. The New York City setting is vivid and vital to the story, and there is definite fodder for another book in this series.

Real Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars

The Rivals is the follow-up novel to Jane Pek’s debut novel, The Verifiers, and the second book in her Claudia Lin series, named after the novel’s protagonist. Given there is an interconnected story and overarching plot between The Verifiers and The Rivals (and this story will be carrying over into the next book, whenever it’s published), you must read The Verifiers before reading The Rivals (that certainly won’t be a chore, considering The Verifiers is an excellent novel).

This review will be as spoiler-free as possible, considering this is a sequel and I don’t want to spoil either The Verifiers or The Rivals.

The Rivals has the same quick wit and wry humor as The Verifiers, which was what made me fall in love with Pek’s writing in the first place, but The Verifiers had this deft exchange of heavy and light throughout the book that kept the story from becoming too bogged down or overwrought, which is what I feel The Rivals lacked. The moral and social implications of the plot elements in this book are rather depressing and I spent the whole second and third act of this book wishing for a little more levity or some kind of break from the swelling cynicism.

Claudia Lin is still a terrific protagonist, with her romantic soul, impulsive manner, and flighty nature. Her head is everywhere and nowhere at the same time, which makes it all the more endearing when she puts together the pieces of the puzzle. Her fraught situationship with Becks proves to be both entertaining and frustrating, full of the same will they/won’t they some of the best prime time television shows of all time were marked with.

There is a lot of technological jargon in this book. I mean, a lot. It almost all went over my head. I did okay when I read The Verifiers, but my eyes started to glaze over a little while reading this one. I still don’t regret picking it up.

I was provided a copy of this title by the publisher and author via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: AAPI Fiction/Amateur Sleuths/Book Series/Dark Comedy/LGBTQ Fiction/Mystery/OwnVoices/Sci Fi

Well written and structured, but difficult to become invested in if you don’t care about a) dating apps or b) creepy tech activity.

There’s an audience for this, but as someone who has never used a dating app and probably wouldn’t even if I wasn’t married, and who doesn’t care about tech much, I found myself alternately bored and even more disturbed by AI than I already was.

The humor isn’t bad and I liked the protagonist, but it just isn’t a book that transcends personal interests in terms of enjoyment. In other words, if you’re into the things that are central to this book’s world, you’ll likely do fine with this one. But just being a fan of mysteries or an appreciator of solid writing won’t make this a good read for you.

The first book in this series was fresh and unique: a fascinating insight into the corporate hand behind modern dating culture. However, the sequel fails to differentiate from the original premise, trying for a murder mystery spy thriller but getting tangled up in its own web of interlocking storylines and conspiracies. The emotional dynamics remained the heart of a story that often feels dry and overly complex. I found myself unwittingly skimming some of the sections unpacking the ongoing investigations, but pulled back in by scenes dealing with Claudia's close but dysfunctional family and her developing relationship with her colleague Becks. I wish the story had struck a better balance between these emotional beats and unraveling of information. Nearly all of the action in the story occurs in the last 10%: improvements to pacing could have done a lot of align the story with the author's intention.

The second Claudia Lin mystery by Jane Pek The Rivals (Vintage, 2024) has generated some impressive street cred before the book is even released: a starred review from Kirkus and one of the Washington Post’s best mysteries of 2024. Some crime fiction writers work for decades and don’t achieve either one.

The story picks up shortly after the first book in the series The Verifiers ends. Claudia is now co-owner of Veracity, a firm that checks out the dates of their clients to confirm the accuracy of the information the client has been given. It is a curiously 21st century sort of job, looking up online accounts to review public profiles and tracking them via GPS to determine if the individual is actually where he or she told Veracity’s client they would be. Of necessity the third person in the tiny firm is deeply technical while Claudia and her partner handle the interpersonal and research aspects of the work.

Part of their job is to understand how the big online matchmaking systems function. While delving into the background of one application, Veracity’s technical guru discovers fake profiles that seem to be set up to manipulate the system’s subscribers, a capability with far-reaching implications. The sudden death of one of the engineers working on this hidden part of the system intrigues mystery reading Claudia, who decides to investigate. She inevitably conflates client research with this more involved corporate reconnaissance.

A second story line is Claudia’s dysfunctional family. Claudia’s father deserted the family years ago, leaving their ill-equipped Chinese mother to support three children. All three of the now-adult children and their mother continue to flaunt the scars of the experience. Their interactions are painful to read and envision.

A complicated, multilayered narrative with complex characters and diverse motivations. Anyone with anxiety about conspiracies should not read this book. The repercussions of a system that can influence human behavior as described here are consequential and the idea of a secret society formed to disable it is mindblowing. I am intrigued with the level of data science detail here; Pek has some authoritative sources. New York City is ever-present in the background, akin to a lurking character who doesn’t say much. While the primary storylines are resolved, the cliffhanger ending leaves some threads dangling for the next book in the series.

Jane Pek returns with a sequel to her much loved debut The Verifiers. The Rivals picks up where book one left off. Voracity, the company who will investigate your online matches for you, is still looking into the big three match companies, what they are really up to, and the mysterious deaths from book one.

Book 2 is a great read, and anyone who loved and liked Claudia will enjoy spending more time in her world. I enjoyed the switch from murder mystery to spy, genre, callouts, and a conclusion I didn’t see coming. The book sets up a lot that hopefully future books will deliver on. I am a fan and will continue to read as long as Pek is writing. I have a soft spot for private investigators, see my love of Veronica Mars, and Lisa Lutz’s The Spellman Files.

In this followup to The Verifiers, Claudia Lin’s life becomes even more complicated than in the first book. Not long after she becomes a partner in Veracity, one of the little company’s would-be clients dies in an accident that she and her work partner Becks think is suspicious. Their suspicion is tightly related to their belief that at least one of the big online matchmaking companies is developing synthetic personas (“synths”) for dishonest and manipulative purposes.

Their investigation proceeds, becoming entangled with a verification case that may be more than it appears. As they learn more—sometimes through high-tech means and regular investigation work, sometimes through Claudia’s amusing insights from her obsession with detective fiction and Jane Austen—it becomes clear that some of the people they have contact with may be in danger, including Claudia’s own brother, Charles.

In the meantime, Claudia’s family relationships with her mother, sister, and brother, seem to be breaking down. And she finds herself attracted to two different women, each unsuitable in different ways.

I like the characters in this series, but the books are way too long. The description of the investigations is so drawn out and detailed that the story drags. It stays on the same plodding level for hundreds of pages, until it finally comes to a sudden climax in the last 10-15%—and then ends with a clear indication that the series will continue, with the mystery plot still focusing on the synths. I have my doubts that this plot is worth multiple books, but if each book were about 75 pages shorter, maybe I’d change my mind. I can see an entertaining and interesting book if it were made a lot leaner.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Jane Pek, and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

After loving the first book in the series, The Rivals was a major disappointment for me sadly. I read the first book (The Verifiers) about 2 years ago and really enjoyed it at the time; I then reread it last month and enjoyed it even more than I remembered. I loved the detective story with a queer character, plenty of coming of age, and a bit of sci-fi elements to it. I started The Rivals immediately upon finishing the first since it was fresh, and even with that, I spend most of this book confused. There was SO much technology talk in this one in regards to the bots and Claudia's work at Veracity that I had a lot of trouble keeping up. I'm not for sure if this was a personal issue or if it felt even more confusing given the made up names for apps and such in this universe, but it felt very much like trying to read theoretical/conceptual ideas that I could never wrap my head around. I liked the addition of romance for Claudia in this book, and I do think that Pek has written an extremely unique and original detective story! I just found myself lost and not invested for much of this one. I would have also personally liked to see more of Max and Claudia's family in this installment, as it was much more case-focused. However, even though it was case-focused, the "mystery" storyline didn't read as clear as The Verifiers which added to me being lost for most of the book. I might check out the next book in this series once it comes out, but unfortunately, this went above my head and lost my interest in this series for the time being.

As a big fan of The Verifiers, the first book in the ongoing Claudia Lin series, I was very excited to jump into The Rivals. Luckily, this follow-up delivers more clever plotlines in the same snappy and smart writing.

While there's still a potential murder to solve, this installment focuses a bit more on the tropes of spy novels as it continues to focus on the increasingly uncanny world of online matchmaking. Even though there is a satisfying conclusion to one of the major storylines, this book does feel very much like a bridge between what could be the first and last in a series. There are a lot of interesting new directions for the story to go in, and frustratingly, this book spent a lot of time seeding these new plotlines.

Overall, I still had a great time reading this book and I love love Pek's clever writing style. I'm just left more than a little impatiently awaiting the next book in the series now.

The Rivals by Jane Pek is book two in the Claudia Lin Series.
A wonderfully written mystery that sucked me in immediately!
I devoured her debut and book one The Verifiers and her second title did not disappoint.
An entertaining amateur sleuth mystery that was unputdownable.

Was very excited to read this one but a little disappointed with how much the middle dragged. Overall, still a solid read. Extremely fascinating concept with technology, especially for this age of AI. Looking forward to reading more from.

Review posted to StoryGraph and Goodreads on 12/1/24. Review will be posted to Amazon on release date.

Let me start by saying that I didn’t realize that this was a book in a series and I might have enjoyed it more had I read the first book as I feel like there were established relationships and dynamics by characters that I didn’t fully get. With all that said I still had such a fun time with this novel. The idea that matchmaking companies are planting synths into the apps to push user behavior and actions was so interesting. I loved seeing Claudia navigate the mysteries that came up in the novel and found myself trying to see if I couldn’t figure out the twists before they happened. I definitely plan on going back to read The Verifiers and am looking forward to finding out what happens next.

3.75 stars, rounded up. I felt the pacing could have been tightened up. It's still an enjoyable read, but I liked the first a bit better. You really need to read the first one to understand the plot about the synths in this novel. I liked that we got more interaction between Claudia and Becks (and Squirrel) but less of the Lin family this go round. I enjoyed how this mystery explored identities/lying/how we present ourselves to the world, and how technology is shaping our identities/how we view ourselves and others. Ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I'm sure a third installment is coming.

"Claudia Lin—mystery novel superfan and, until recently, clichéd underemployed English major—has scored her dream co-running Veracity, a dating detective agency whose mission is to determine if chronically online New Yorkers are telling the truth about themselves to their prospective partners. Unfortunately, along the way, she and her colleagues—tech wizard Squirrel, and the beautiful and intimidating Becks—have uncovered a nefarious AI conspiracy. And the corrupt corporate matchmakers may be resorting to murder to protect their secrets.Luckily, a client’s ex is ready to turn on his employers—slipping Claudia thumb drives and setting up secret meetings to exchange information about what the company is up to behind the scenes. But even as Claudia starts to get a feel for this new genre—just call her Lin, Claudia Lin—she's distracted by the romantic tension with both Becks and a flirtatious and charming target. There’s also the fear that her older brother, Charles, is unwittingly falling into the corporation's deadly web through his consulting work. How can you know who to trust if you are keeping secrets and lying to those you love? How real are the carefully constructed identities we present to the world, online and off?"

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

Man. I really wanted to LOVE this book. I enjoyed the Verifiers and was so excited for this release… but I found that the sequel, while it had some interesting ideas, also had just enough logical flaws in the technology elements of the plot that I couldn’t maintain my enjoyment. There’s a lot to love here for someone with a stronger suspension of tech disbelief- just not for me.

I had mixed feelings about this second Claudia Lin mystery that had a lot complicated family drama, a new queer romantic relationship and a corporate virtual reality espionage mystery. I liked the narration by Eunice Wong and the interpersonal relationship aspects of the book but a lot of the VR/technical stuff involved in the mystery was way too complex for me. I also found the book longer than I wanted for a 'light' mystery. Overall not really my cup of tea. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

🕵🏽‍♀️ Quirky mystery
🕵🏽‍♀️ Diverse Characters

Similar to book one in the Claudia Lin Series, I felt the book dragged on a little in the middle and wished the storyline moved a little bit quicker. Overall I enjoyed the book. It was a fun mystery with a diverse set of characters.

If you loved The Verifiers, you’re sure to love The Rivals.

It has been almost three years since I read THE VERIFIERS (which was a 5-star read for me in 2022). However, I think that this one may suffer from "second book syndrome". It felt too long and too drawn out, but I can see how we are (hopefully) set up for a third (and final?) book.