Promise Boys

Nick Brooks

YA Thriller

A blockbuster, dark academia mystery about three teens of color who must investigate their principal’s murder to clear their own names—this page-turning thriller is perfect for fans ofKaren McManus, Jason Reynolds, Angie Thomas, and Holly Jackson.

“Thrilling, captivating, and blade-sharp.” —Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying

“A brilliant pulls-no-punches mystery.” —Adam Silvera, #1 New York Times bestselling author of They Both Die at the End

The prestigious Urban Promise Prep school might look pristine on the outside, but deadly secrets lurk within. When the principal ends up murdered on school premises and the cops come sniffing around, a trio of students—J.B., Ramón, and Trey—emerge as the prime suspects. They had the means, they had the motive—and they may have had the murder weapon. But with all three maintaining their innocence, they must band together to track down the real killer before they are arrested. Or is the true culprit hiding among them?

Find out who killed Principal Moore in Nick Brooks’s murder mystery, Promise Boys—The Hate U Give meets One of Us Is Lying.

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.

My Opinion

(4 / 5) Promise Prep is a school meant to help underprivileged boys but ends up being run more as a prison. The principal is found dead on school grounds and 3 boys are the suspects. There are two black and one Hispanic that are suspects. They each try to find the killer to clear their name but end up working together to solve it.

This was a short listen at only 6.5 hours. It had me interested from the start. For such a short story, the characters were well-developed. I felt I knew each one and had a good grasp of the kind of person they were. The build-up to the murder was done well. The brutality and aggression displayed toward the students had my interest piqued. I could see the murder playing out potentially from multiple characters. Everyone had a reason to want him dead. Brilliant.

Ultimately it became a story of corruption but also trust. Fabulous ending!

AUDIO REVIEW: The audio was phenomenal! There was a full cast with background noise to add to the mystery. Hearing the background, such as high school hallway noise, added so much reality to the story.

General content summary: F words: 11, a man is found shot and killed (few details), teens are implicated in a murder, blood, poverty, misogyny, prejudice, reference to underage drinking, physical violence (fists), m/f kisses, intimacy (implied, closed door), alcoholism (few references), uncle hitting teen (fists), gun threat.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the gifted copy!

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