I wanted to thank NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for allowing me to read this book and share my thoughts!
I will say that it took a bit for me to grasp the story initially, but over time, it began to grow on me. I became more curious about the murder mystery even though it was on the lighter side of detective fiction. Claudia is witty and makes the story more intriguing regarding the additional elements impacting Cluadia, such as her culture, sexuality, and expectations from her mother. The book offered a different perspective on online dating and how crazy it can be. If you enjoy character-driven mysteries and a mix of modern and classic detective fiction, you might enjoy this one. It wasn't my usual cup of tea, but I still enjoyed it.

Jane Pek’s debut novel, The Verifiers, is an interesting and entertaining book. Her writing is excellent and she provides excellent character development as well. Furthermore, she presents an intriguing premise which is unusual but also very relevant in today’s world.

The plot is well-developed, the dialogue is believable, and the light humor simply adds to the overall appeal of Ms Pek’s book. The only thing I had to wade through was the explanations of the intricacies of the plot. The technical jargon and subsequent explanations went a bit too far into the weeds for me. But, fortunately, this didn’t last throughout the book.

For the most part, her book proved to be entertaining and enjoyable, with the story moving along at a good pace. While the characters and their behaviors were sometimes hard to believe, I still like this book. It was often hard to predict what would happen next, but it was always fun to try. The Verifiers pushed me out of my comfort zone in a good way and it’s 3.5 stars bumped to 4. NetGalley provided an advance reader copy.

Claudia Lin is definitely a different kind of detective. She works as a verifier, at Veracity, an agency which verifies the profiles on dating sites. Like a 21st century private detective. Claudia loves her job, but hasn't told her family she isn't working in the financial sector, like her high-achieving family would like her to be. She also hasn't told her family that she isn't going to marry a good Asian boy, because she likes girls.
When a client goes missing, Claudia goes further into the investigation than she expected and that her boss wanted her to. After all, she does have the Inspector Yuan detective stories as a template and inspiration! Suddenly her online world of research has become much more hazardous and she finds herself in danger--both emotionally and physically.

I really enjoyed this book. It turned out to be equally about Claudia's growth as a person, navigating dating and her family, and also her growing confidence as a professional. And it was a fascinating insight into the niche world of matching and the technology and privacy issues involved, High recommend.

The Verifiers, Jane Pek

The Verifiers is a super fun literary mystery with a tone reminiscent of Only Murders in the Building (set in New York, amateur sleuth, genuinely funny and clever).
The protagonist is Claudia Lin, the youngest daughter in a Chinese American family. Claudia recently left behind an unsatisfying corporate job to work for Veracity, a secretive firm catering to wealthy clients who want to investigate the people they meet on dating sites. When one of Veracity’s clients ends up dead, allegedly by suicide, Claudia, who loves mystery novels, decides to investigate. Her investigation takes her deep into the world of matching technology, social media, and AI.

The author is a lawyer working in tech and you can tell she knows what she’s talking about — the novel gets at the core of how and why companies convince us to give up our most personal information in exchange for their “free” services (spoiler — in exchange, we give them our time, attention, and ability to use and sell our data) and then use it not only to give us what we think we want, but to actually shape our preferences and choices, too.

I love reading mysteries in December and this one was a really good time — well written, thought provoking, and I found Claudia’s dynamics with her mom and siblings very compelling. She released a sequel, The Rivals, earlier this month, and I‘ll definitely be reading it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free electronic review copy!

The Verifiers had more meat and social commentary to it than I thought it would. It took me a while to get into it but once I did I found this to be a fun, original read that has the makings of a classic mystery series.

Jane Pek’s The Verifiers is a clever and thought-provoking mystery that explores the intersections of technology, identity, and relationships in the modern digital age. The story follows Claudia Lin, a smart and insightful young woman working for a secretive online-dating detective agency, where she verifies clients' matches for potential deception. When one of her cases takes a dark turn, Claudia finds herself embroiled in a mystery that challenges her skills—and her understanding of truth and trust.

Pek’s writing is witty and engaging, intimately portraying Claudia’s world and unique voice. Claudia is a refreshingly relatable protagonist, driven by curiosity, intelligence, and a dash of skepticism. Pek skillfully uses Claudia’s perspective to explore the complexity of relationships in the age of dating apps and deeper questions of authenticity and identity. The tech-driven mystery is as relevant as it is suspenseful, capturing our times' ethical dilemmas and societal shifts.

The pacing is brisk, with well-timed twists and moments of introspection that keep readers invested. Pek’s exploration of family, cultural identity, and self-acceptance adds emotional layers to the story, making it more than a traditional whodunit. The setting—a bustling, tech-savvy New York—is both vivid and resonant, amplifying the novel’s themes of connection and isolation.

The Verifiers is an inventive, engaging mystery that balances sharp social commentary with a fun, twisty plot. Special thanks to NetGalley and to Vintage Books for providing an Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review!

I love a good mystery and this one is really fun and interesting to read. The writing is well done and the representation in this book is great.

The development of the characters is strong and it was nice to connect to them while the mystery happens in the story. I love the elements of the FMC, Claudia, and her family story intertwined in the book. The layers are a key piece to my enjoyment.

I like the character dialogue and how we all have to face who we are in the end. I think there are a lot of really strong messages in this book and I look forward to book 2 coming soon!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

You never know what the main character is going to do next. The story was interesting, and I enjoyed trying to figure out the mystery. There were a lot of issues that all the characters had to work through, and at times, one can grow frustrated with their actions.

quite an entertaining book! perfect for fans of the comfy crime/thriller/mystery genre. thank you so much to the publisher for reaching out and giving me the e-arc of this book!!

What an interesting read! The Verifiers is a modern mystery novel about Claudia, a New Yorker who works at a secretive detective agency that verifies people's online relationships. She is tasked with investigating the authenticity of clients' romantic interests on dating apps, Claudia's job is to uncover the truth behind their digital personas. I think that this plot is extremely unique! However, as she's diving into these dating apps, she finds out that there's something that seems wrong. This book makes you feel like a detective trying to uncover some interesting themes of technology and identity.

this just wasn't for me, read a while back and for some reason my review didn't save. this was just missing some extra umph I needed.

thank you net galley for an arc of this in exchange for my honest review.

Claudia is in the online dating world, fact=checking the dates for the match making members. Claudia gets so involved in one client's case, she finds herself hiding things from her family, friends, and boss. Throughout the intrigue, and junior sleuthing, we see into the antics of those who tell others one thing online, for it to be a complete fabrication, until/if they are caught, and the possible repercussions.

.I loved this story and hope to read more by Pek.

I was given the opportunity to read this novel by NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book, and cannot wait for the next installment! I thought that Claudia was a really fun and no-nonsense heroine, and I loved every second of reading this book. I'm not usually a person for mysteries, but this book had me hooked from the first page. I think that the commentary around dating apps was interesting and timely, and I enjoyed that the world that Pek created was ours, but different and somewhat futuristic.

Could have used tighter editing, and felt unfinished in the end, but overall I liked it and look forward to reading the next one.

Really enjoyed this "who dun it" with complex characters and plots!! Plus, the main character worked at a detective agency for matchmaking sites? Like how cool! I found the plot to be well paced. Although, I thought at times the matchmaking science was a little bit much... anyway, looking forward to the next book in the series!

Oh I loved this book. Claudia is a fresh new detective character and I hope this is a whole series about her. I love her bluntness and how she relentlessly carries out her missions. Fantastic book!

A great new pseudo mystery about a young Chinese woman who thinks she’s a detective. Claudia lives in New York and works for a very anonymous company that verifies online dating matches. It all becomes very complicated when one of their clients turns up dead.
Well written and so indicative of how our current society turns to the internet to find love..

Didn't manage to get to this book before it was published, and then it fell through the cracks.

This is not the type of book I typically read. I have, however, been seeking out books with Asian and queer main characters lately, so it did fit that bill. The main theme of the story involved dating apps and those who keep track of the people using them--especially after one of the clients turns up dead. As a mystery, it had plenty of twists and and anxious moments when our protagonist found herself in peril. I was kept guessing about what was accidental and what was intentional. But I was actually more interested in Claudia's family--the dynamics of this Asian family were almost as dramatic as the mystery!

I see that a sequel is listed--I will keep an eye out for it.

A quirky story that I would most likely recommend to mystery readers looking for something outside of the standard procedurals or those in search of stories of unlikely crime solvers. Could possibly be appealing to readers of Nina Prose’s The Maid, especially if they’re generally new to the mystery genre.

Title: "The Verifiers" by Jane Pek - A Disjointed Exploration of Identity

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

I had the privilege of reading an advanced reader copy of "The Verifiers" by Jane Pek, but, unfortunately, the novel didn't quite meet my expectations. While the premise held potential for an intriguing exploration of identity and the complexities of modern life, the execution left much to be desired.

The story follows a group of fact-checkers who work for an online platform, tasked with verifying the authenticity of users' accounts. While the concept was intriguing, the narrative often felt disjointed, making it challenging to engage with the characters and their stories. Pek's writing style was at times overly complex, detracting from the overall readability of the novel.

The characters themselves lacked depth, and their motivations remained unclear, leaving me struggling to connect with their experiences. The central theme of identity and authenticity, while timely and relevant, failed to reach its full potential in the book. Overall, "The Verifiers" felt like a missed opportunity, with a promising concept that didn't quite translate into a cohesive and engaging narrative.

I'd like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to explore this advanced reader copy, even though my reading experience was not as satisfying as I had hoped.