The Clever Cartoonist

In the fog covered streets of 1920s South San Francisco, sixteen-year-old Elias is sent to live with his Aunt and Uncle after his parents are murdered protecting him from the Italian mob. But inside Hops, a warm café, cigar lounge, and hidden speakeasy glowing with enchanted paintings, sacred candles, whispered spells, and ancient Mexican brujería. Elias discovers a secret world buried beneath the city's fog. As spirits move through the walls and mysterious animal guardians awaken to his presence, Elias learns his bloodline is tied to powerful magic older than the city itself. Meanwhile, the Italian mob returns searching for Jean, a vanished pregnant woman accused of killing a mobster heir, and the missing child connected to their family. With danger closing in from both the living and the supernatural, Elias must uncover the truth behind his parents' deaths before the darkness hiding beneath South San Francisco finds him first.