Promise Boys by Nick Brooks

While reading, you’ll see life inside Promise Prep through their eyes, drawing open the shiny curtain of perfection Principal Moore has put up

Goodreads Synopsis

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?

Review

Three boys, one principal dead, one killer hiding…

Note: For an additional pleasant reading, this reviewer recommends pairing it with the audiobook to bring the story alive. You can find the audiobook on Scribd.

I love a good whodunit. That’s what drew me to read this book. Who killed the principal? And why?

Promise Preparatory School was supposed to be a beacon of light to young boys from rough neighbourhoods. It was supposed to guide them into a brighter future. However, wherever the light shines brightest, the shadows are the darkest.

In Promise Boys, we follow three young boys who are the main suspects in a murder trial J.B., Trey and Ramon. While reading, you’ll see life inside Promise Prep through their eyes, drawing open the shiny curtain of perfection Principal Moore has put up. Instead of being a symbol of hope for these young boys, it is a place where joy goes to die, and misery thrives. There are demerits for little things, detention for anything, and the threat of suspension hanging over students’ heads—certainly, not a fun place to be.

The story is divided into five parts, with students, teachers, outsiders, and relatives opining on each suspect. In this, you’ll find how certain stereotypes make people suspect these boys, as each suspect tells what he was doing the day before the murder and on the day of the murder. There is also an included police transcript between the detectives and the boys.

The one emotion I had reading this book? Anger. I was angry at the world on behalf of these boys. It is important to note that these are teenagers, teenagers being treated like criminals because of their looks and background. They all had a run-in with Principal Moore, who, let me be frank, was a bonafide dickhead. So, no, I did not feel sorry when he died because he treated these kids badly. He was not kind at all, and he was mean-spirited.

You never know what people are going through, and these boys had enough baggage at home and were just trying to make it through each day. But then they get to school and find it even worse because of Principal Moore.

Another thing that made me sad and angry was the way the police handled the case. They treated these babies like grown men instead of the kids that they were. These kids had a first-class seat in seeing a system designed to bring them down.

Final Thoughts

I think Nick Brooks has written a wonderful story with an important message. It was easy to read and entertaining enough to read and listen to in one sitting; you’ll keep trying to guess who did it. I have to say, as an avid Poirot fan (Agatha Christie), I was able to figure out who did it early on.

Nevertheless, watching it all unravel to catch the perpetrator was quite fun. The story also made me think about how easy it is to pass judgement on people and create stereotypes without even knowing who they are. It is quite scary that because of these judgments, everyday people are condemned even when innocent.

I highly recommend Promise Boys! If you are looking for an interesting whodunit to read in one sitting, pick this one up.

As always,

Nelo– The Booked Unicorn.