Author Jane Pek returns with high-tech mystery sequel, "The Rivals"
- lmagurno
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Blending mystery, technology, and identity, Pek continues Claudia Lin’s story and heads to UAlbany for a campus conversation on Thursday, Feb. 26.
By Lillian Magurno, NYS Writers Institute intern
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
What happens when AI, dating apps, a mystery and a dash of dystopia align? In her new novel, The Rivals, Jane Pek explores those connections.
Following the life of mystery novel superfan Claudia Lin, The Rivals explores a dating app detective agency that works to uncover the secrets of mysterious clients. While co-running the agency, Lin’s personal life troubles clash with her detective work.
Pek first introduced Lin in her 2022 novel The Verifiers, which introduces us to her first escapades as a dating app verifier.
In discussion of her Claudia Lin series, Pek described her decision to portray Lin as not only an adventurous detective, but also as a queer Chinese-American woman. According to Pek, Lin’s identity is meant to give the reader a different perspective to explore.
“This isn’t a novel about Asian or lesbian identity, but about someone who possesses these traits, and you therefore see the world from their perspective,” said Pek in discussion with Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network.
Critics have embraced the series’ blend of tech-savvy intrigue and dry humor. New York Times best-selling author Grace D. Li (Portrait of a Thief) praised The Rivals as a “clever, clear-eyed take on the modern spy novel, full of wisdom and sly humor. I’d follow Claudia Lin anywhere.” And Kendal Weaver from AP News wrote, “The Rivals hints that [Lin] has more work in store. With the freshness of Pek’s staging of online love and death, a third entry in the series will be welcome.”
Pek will discuss her craft and career at a conversation, free and open to the public, to take place at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, February 26, at the University’s Campus Center Room 375. Attendees will be able to purchase a copy of The Rivals and get the chance to meet Pek and get their books signed.
4:30 p.m. Thursday, February 26
Campus Center Room 375
University at Albany
1400 Washington Avenue
Albany NY 12222