Center for the literary arts in New York State
DATING A.I.
Jane Pek
4:30 p.m. Thursday, February 26, 2026
Jane Pek is the author of The Rivals, a novel that imagines AI’s dystopian impact on the world of online dating, and one of The Washington Post’s “10 Best Mystery Novels of 2024.”
The book’s protagonist, Claudia Lin — mystery novel superfan and, until recently, underemployed English major — has scored her dream job: co-running Veracity, a dating detective agency for chronically online New Yorkers who want to know if their prospective partners are telling the truth. Unfortunately, along the way, she and her colleagues — tech savant Squirrel, and the elegant and intimidating Becks — have uncovered a far-reaching AI conspiracy.
Pek’s first book in the new Claudia Lin series was The Verifiers (2022), also a Washington Post “Best Mystery” of the year.
Cosponsored by the AI & Society College and Research Center, and the Information Sciences and Technology Department of the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (CEHC), the Honors College, and the Justice & Multiculturalism in the 21st Century Project of the School of Criminal Justice.
From the author
I was born and grew up in Singapore. My debut novel The Verifiers was published by Vintage/Knopf in February 2022. The Verifiers was a New York Times Editors’ Choice, an Indie Next and LibraryReads pick, a Good Morning America recommendation, and a Phenomenal Book Club selection. My short fiction has been anthologised twice in The Best American Short Stories. I currently live in New York, where I work as a lawyer at a global investment company.
Some of the things I’m into: picking up different martial arts, reading coming-of-age novels, watching contemporary theatre, and cycling around the city in search of superlative almond croissants.
Reviews
“In this sequel to The Verifiers, Pek again brilliantly combines a corporate espionage thriller with the messy drama of Lin’s family life.”
— The Washington Post, “The 10 Best Mystery Novels of 2024”
"A clever, clear-eyed take on the modern spy novel, full of wisdom and sly humor. I’d follow Claudia Lin anywhere."
—Grace D. Li, New York Times bestselling author of Portrait of a Thief
“A testament to Pek’s skill in building a story arc, at once aware of its tropes and seamlessly threading them into a tightly woven plot that grows ever more complex from start to cliffhanger finish. Within this, Pek nestles timely and increasingly relevant questions about the role of technology in our everyday lives... The Rivals is the best kind of second-in-a-series: the kind guaranteed to leave readers eager for more.”
—Kerry McHugh, Shelf Awareness
