The Verifiers: A sharp debut novel about love, technology and murder

** A finalist for the Joseph Hansen Award for LGBTQ Crime Writing ** ** Longlisted for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award **

Introducing Claudia Lin: a sharp-witted heroine for the 21st century.

Claudia Lin is used to disregarding her fractious family's model-minority expectations: she has no interest in finding either a conventional career or a nice Chinese boy. She's also used to keeping secrets from them, such as that she prefers girls – and that she's just been stealth-recruited by Veracity, a referrals-only online-dating detective agency.

A lifelong mystery reader who wrote her senior thesis on Jane Austen, Claudia believes she's landed her ideal job. But when a client vanishes, Claudia breaks protocol to investigate – and uncovers a maelstrom of personal and corporate deceit.

Part literary mystery, part family story, The Verifiers is a clever and incisive examination of how technology shapes our choices and the nature of romantic love in the digital age. Perfect for fans of Maggie Terry by Sarah Schulman, Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy and Rosalie Knecht's Vera Kelly series.

‘Your go-to summer read… Really fun and will keep you hooked’ – Emily Henry, author of Beach Read

‘This book is exhilaratingly well-written. I loved it so much that I didn’t want it to end’ – Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven

‘Pek’s engrossing debut novel gives us a thoroughly modern twist on classic detective fiction’ – New York Times (Editors’ Choice)

‘This astute, page-turning debut sheds light on the necessities and limitations of interpersonal interaction, the role technology plays in its evolution (and de-evolution), and what it means to be human and looking for love in the 21st century’ – BuzzFeed

‘Clever, dryly funny… This is a fascinating, carefully layered mystery novel as well as a love letter to New York City and complicated families’ – Washington Post

© 2025 Verve Books (Rafbók): 9780857309211

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Rafbók: 18 mars 2025