When her best friend vanishes, Bingo Finder -- the only literate person in a post-apocalyptic L.A. -- turns to her beloved, ancient books for inspiration, becoming the first detective in centuries. But to solve this mystery, Bingo must fight for her own life and uncover a conspiracy within this fragile civilization.

Bingo and every other teen in the sprawling farming village of Ellay knows the tales of the old days -- of how their great-great-great-grandparents rebuilt what was left of society after some apocalypse or whatever. But that's ancient history. Boring.

Nah, for Bingo's generation, today is about staying busy -- distracted, even -- while tilling the reclaimed City of Industry fields or unloading barges at the seedy port of Bel Air. Or in Bingo's case, scavenging ruins for artifacts to upcycle and trade at the bartering bazaars -- including Bingo's favorite leftovers, these old things called "books." Ever heard of 'em?

Her favorites are the TECTIV books, the ones about men who walked rain-slicked streets at night in hats and trench coats. They searched for answers in a city called L.A., just like Bingo. It was their job. And after the sudden disappearance of her best friend, Fenn, Bingo decides that's what she's gonna have to be if she wants to get answers -- a new kind of TECTIV for a new world. Because everyone may believe Fenn's disappearance was the first crime in a long time. But Bingo's about to learn that it wasn't. And it sure won't be the last...

Author: Richard Ashley Hamilton
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Maverick
Published: 12/10/2024
Pages: 180
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 9.13h x 7.32w x 0.79d
ISBN: 9781545812440
Audience: Young Adult


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/0001
School Library Journal 12/01/2024 pg. 96

About the Author
RICHARD ASHLEY HAMILTON is an award-winning Cuban-American (no, really) screenwriter and author best known for his storytelling across many DreamWorks Animation franchises including How To Train Your Dragon and Guillermo Del Toro's Tales of Arcadia. He wrote on the Daytime Emmy-winning first season of Dragons: Race to the Edge and the Lumiere award-winning How To Train Your Dragon: Hidden World Tour VR experience.But in his heart, Richard remains a lifelong comic book fan and has created titles for Dark Horse, Aftershock/Seismic Press, Insight Editions, Papercutz, and more. He currently writes two YA graphic novel series, SCOOP and TECTIV, for Mad Cave/Maverick, and his middle-grade horror title, FEARBOOK CLUB, was named a 2022 Junior Library Guild Official Selection. Richard lives in Glendale, CA, with his wife, their two sons, and a Husky named Lulu.