The following version of the novel was used to create this study guide: Brooks, Nick. Promise Boys. Henry Holt and Co., January 31, 2023. Kindle.

In the young adult mystery novel Promise Boys by Nick Brooks, before anyone has been officially charged in the murder of Urban Prep principal Kenneth Moore, the court of public opinion has already decided that Jabari “J.B.” Williamson, Ramón Zambrano, or Trey Jackson is guilty. Sections of the novel discuss the different opinions that members of the community have about the murder and the three prime suspects, all boys of color. These boys were in detention at the time of the murder, resulting in them being labeled as troublemakers. J.B., Ramón, and Trey, however, are all innocent. They must band together to find the real killer and prove their innocence.

J.B., Ramón, and Trey all have dreams for their futures. J.B. wants to compose music and rap. Ramón dreams of opening his own restaurant. Trey believes the big game coming up will secure his future for a college scholarship in basketball. Unfortunately, all three students have encounters with Urban Promise Prep principal Kenneth Moore that land them in detention. J.B. is caught texting his girlfriend just a few minutes before the end of the school day, resulting in a heated confrontation between him and Moore. Ramón is caught selling homemade pupusas at school to raise money to bail his cousin out of jail. Ramón believes César was arrested on trumped-up charges after Moore caught him on school property. Trey was sent to detention for making jokes during lunch, a punishment that kept him from being able to play in the big game.

During detention, Trey begged the school resource officer, Mr. Reggie, to allow him to go to the bathroom until the officer finally gave in to his requests. After Trey did not come back in a reasonable amount of time, Mr. Reggie went to look for him, leaving J.B. and Ramón alone in the room. While Reggie was looking for Trey, Moore was shot. Then, Mr. Reggie returned to the detention room and discovered that both J.B. and Ramón were gone. People saw J.B. with blood on his clothes.

Even though they had not been friends before the murder, J.B., Ramon, and Trey learned to trust one another as they investigated Moore’s murder. They tracked down Omar Rosario, who had been working on a video project for Moore. Omar had a microphone set up in Moore’s office the day of the murder in preparation for an interview they had planned. It turned out the microphone had caught the sounds of the murder even though there was no video.

Omar was asked to prepare a video honoring Moore for a memorial service at the school. He put together a chronological video starting with the opening of Urban Promise Prep and ending with an altercation between Moore and Wilson Hicks, dean of the school, that ended in Moore being shot. Hicks was found guilty of Moore’s murder and it was determined that Moore had been embezzling from funds donated to the school. J.B., Ramón, and Trey were declared innocent.