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…