In this gripping, exhilarating YA murder mystery, two childhood friends work together to uncover who murdered a young woman during a police protest.
Cooper King, a Black teen from Washington, D.C., reluctantly agrees to help his mentor and big brother figure, Jason, loot during a protest--a Black 14-year-old was brutally murdered by a cop and people have taken to the streets. Cooper expected to be the lookout but ends up ransacking the place with the group. Gunshots ring out, a young woman is killed, and Jason becomes the lead suspect for her death. Cooper, who ran from the scene of the crime, is scared he'll be arrested next. Jason's sister and Cooper's longtime crush, Monique, is convinced Jason isn't the killer; she decides to work with Cooper to find out who the murderer truly is. Their investigation leads them through a web of deception, cover-ups, and threatening twists--some initiated by Cooper himself, manipulating evidence to keep Monique from learning he was with Jason. As Cooper and Monique fall for each other, Cooper must keep his secret from Monique, exonerate his friend, and try to stay safe himself.
Nick Brooks (Promise Boys) delivers another engrossing, rapidly paced thriller in Up in Smoke, his second work for young adults. The story is told through Cooper's and Monique's alternating points of view, giving readers direct access to the emotional stakes for each character. Brooks does not shy away from tackling difficult subjects like systemic racism and the oppression of marginalized communities. Up in Smoke is a riveting murder mystery that should appeal to fans of Tiffany D. Jackson and Jade Adia. --Natasha Harris, freelance writer