The Urban Promise Prep School is a charity school in Washington DC that takes boys from poor neighbourhoods and subjects them to a punishingly strict daily routine in an attempt to instil the discipline required to surpass expectations and make a success of their lives. (It reminded me of the Michaela School in London.) But when the Principal is shot in his office, three students find themselves in the spotlight of a murder investigation.
JB, Ramon and Trey were all in detention together, had motives to kill Principal Moore and initially suspect each other but soon decide to work together to find the real killer and expose what is happening behind the scenes at Promise. The story is told in bits of testimony from members of the community and from the perspectives of the three boys themselves.
‘Promise Boys’ combines a hard-hitting contemporary story about the expectations and prospects of Black and Latinx boys in the US, with a gripping school murder mystery. I really enjoyed this compelling and redemptive story – definitely buying this one for the school library. An excellent read!
Swimming in Books 