Synopsis
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…
About the Author
RICHARD ASHLEY HAMILTON is an award-winning Cuban-American (no, really) writer and creative consultant best known for his storytelling across many DreamWorks Animation franchises including How To Train Your Dragon and Guillermo Del Toro’s Trollhunters. He wrote on the Daytime Emmy-winning first season of Dragons: Race to the Edge and scripted 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 at Dark Horse, Aftershock, Insight, Sandstorm, and more. For Mad Cave Studios’ Maverick imprint, he currently writes two YA graphic novel series, SCOOP and TECTIV—recipient of a Kirkus Starred Review and featured in their list of the Top 100 Indie Books of 2025—with the all-ages adventure, LEO DA VINCI: RENAISSANCE KID, released by Papercutz on April 15, 2026 (Leonardo da Vinci’s actual birthday). Richard’s middle-grade horror story, FEARBOOK CLUB, was also named a Junior Library Guild Official Selection. Richard lives in Glendale, CA, with his wife, their two sons, and a Husky named Lulu.
Marco Matrone is an Italian comic artist who studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and the School of Comics in Italy. Over the years, he has worked in comics and animation, collaborating with publishers and studios both in Italy and internationally. (*Senzombra, Fearbook Club, Tectiv*)
Dave Sharpe is an artist and currently a letterer for various featured comic publishing companies within the industry. He graduated from the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, Inc. in 1990, and immediately went to work at Marvel. As of 2009, Dave has been lettering for DC Comics on a number of titles currently: Green Lantern, Green Lantern War Journal, and ACTION COMICS! Dave also letters LOTS of other books and titles for various publishers. Dave plays bass guitar and is way more approachable than he looks.
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