Nick Brooks delivers a powerful, pulse-pounding thriller in his latest young adult novel, Up in Smoke. Set against the backdrop of a Washington, DC, neighborhood simmering with tension after a police shooting, the novel expertly weaves together elements of mystery, social commentary, and teenage romance. Following his acclaimed debut Promise Boys, Brooks once again demonstrates his talent for crafting authentic teen voices while tackling complex issues of justice, loyalty, and systemic corruption.
The Plot: A Community on Fire
When sixteen-year-old Cooper King agrees to join his neighborhood mentor Jason Simms in looting stores during a protest over the police shooting of fourteen-year-old Samir Edwards, he expects it to be a quick money-making scheme. Instead, gunshots ring out, a woman is murdered, and Jason is arrested as the prime suspect. To make matters worse, Cooper finds himself one of four masked accomplices captured on security footage, wondering if he’ll be next.
Monique Simms, Jason’s sister and Cooper’s longtime crush, is determined to prove her brother’s innocence. When she teams up with Cooper, who’s desperately hiding the truth of his involvement, the duo embarks on an amateur investigation that unveils layers of corruption, secret identities, and dangerous revolutionary politics.
As they race against time, Cooper must decide whether coming clean about his role might help or hurt Jason’s case, all while his growing feelings for Monique complicate his decisions further. Their investigation eventually leads them to Rah Meck, a charismatic community leader with a dark past and dangerous agenda, setting up a thrilling confrontation where truth and justice hang in the balance.
Strengths: Authentic Voices and Topical Themes
Compelling Dual Narration
Brooks employs alternating first-person perspectives between Cooper and Monique, creating a dynamic narrative that allows readers to experience both characters’ internal struggles. Cooper’s guilt and fear contrast beautifully with Monique’s determination and moral clarity, creating a narrative tension that propels the story forward.
The author writes with an authentic teen voice that never feels forced or pandering:
“The fact that someone dropped a dime on Jason set off alarms in my head. One thing Jason took pride in was being thorough. In all senses of the word. He told us to mask up for a reason. He wouldn’t go against his own rule.”
Timely Social Commentary
Up in Smoke doesn’t shy away from addressing police brutality, systemic racism, and community response to injustice. Brooks presents these complex issues through the eyes of teenagers directly affected by them, making the political intensely personal. The narrative explores how different characters respond to oppression—from peaceful protest to revolutionary action to looting—without offering simplistic moral judgments.
Particularly poignant is the way Brooks examines the “the Trap” that ensnares young Black men in cycles of poverty and criminalization:
“Maybe they figure if they keep getting us riled up about a new thing, we’ll forget the last thing we were angry about in the first place. It’s how they’ve planned things for decades, centuries…”
Expertly Crafted Mystery
From the opening chapter, Brooks carefully plants clues and red herrings that keep readers guessing. The investigation unfolds at a perfect pace, with each revelation raising the stakes. By the time Cooper and Monique discover the connection between Rah Meck and Officer McDonald, readers will be fully invested in the outcome.
The author demonstrates a keen understanding of mystery plotting, using well-timed reveals and twist endings that feel earned rather than contrived.
Character Development: Complex and Nuanced Protagonists
Cooper King: A Boy Finding His Voice
Cooper’s journey from passive observer to active participant in justice forms the emotional core of the novel. Initially motivated by fear and self-preservation, Cooper grows to understand his responsibilities to his community and to himself. His internal struggles over truth, loyalty, and courage make him a relatable protagonist:
“I had always known that it was wrong, but it was Jay. He was a big brother to me, too. And he was convincing. And no one was supposed to get hurt. And so many other things I didn’t say because they’d all just sound like excuses.”
Monique Simms: Passionate and Principled
Monique emerges as the novel’s moral compass—intelligent, creative, and uncompromising in her pursuit of justice. Her poetry, which appears throughout the novel, offers insight into her processing of trauma and hope:
“F is for our FIGHT, our Freedom, our Faith, Fierce, as we march forward each day…”
Her loyalty to her brother and growing feelings for Cooper create compelling emotional conflicts that humanize her righteous anger.
Supporting Cast: Rounded and Realistic
From Jason’s charismatic but morally complex leadership to Rah’s twisted revolutionary zeal, the supporting characters feel three-dimensional and authentic. Cooper’s father represents the concerned parent trying to protect his son from a system stacked against him, while Detective Hunter shows that even within corrupt institutions, there are individuals working for positive change.
Where the Novel Sometimes Falters
Occasional Plot Conveniences
At times, Cooper and Monique’s amateur detective work yields results too easily. The teenagers have remarkable access to crime scenes, hidden evidence, and dangerous suspects. While these scenarios create exciting set pieces, they occasionally strain credibility.
Rushed Resolution
The climactic confrontation with Rah resolves somewhat abruptly, with law enforcement arriving at a suspiciously convenient moment. After the meticulous build-up throughout the novel, some readers might wish for a more extended final act that allows the themes and character arcs more breathing room.
Uneven Pacing in the Middle Sections
While the opening and closing chapters maintain breathless tension, some middle sections of the investigation move more sluggishly, particularly when Cooper and Monique retread information or witness interviews deliver similar revelations.
A Vivid Setting: DC as Character
In Up in Smoke, Nick Brooks brings Washington, DC, to life as more than mere backdrop. The city emerges as a living, breathing entity with its own contradictions and character:
“The strip was still in disarray with boarded-up buildings, but somehow it seemed even more active than before the riots. There were so many people milling about, snapping photos of the wreckage, documenting the scene as if it were some sort of museum of pain.”
The contrast between the corridors of power and neglected neighborhoods highlights the novel’s themes of inequality and systemic abandonment.
Thematic Richness: Beyond the Mystery
Truth and Deception
Brooks explores how lies—from personal deceptions to institutional cover-ups—corrode trust and justice. Cooper’s journey toward honesty parallels the larger societal need for transparency about police violence and corruption.
Justice versus Revenge
Through Rah’s twisted crusade and Cooper’s quest to clear Jason, the novel interrogates what true justice looks like and whether the ends ever justify the means.
Finding Your Voice
Monique’s poetry and Cooper’s growing certainty about his passions reflect the novel’s interest in how young people discover their authentic selves amidst external pressures and expectations.
Final Verdict: A Compelling Read with Important Messages
Up in Smoke succeeds both as a gripping thriller and as thoughtful commentary on the challenges facing Black youth in America today. Brooks crafts characters readers will care deeply about while unspooling a mystery that keeps pages turning. Despite minor flaws, the novel’s emotional impact and social relevance make it a standout in contemporary YA fiction.
Fans of Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give and Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely’s All American Boys will find much to appreciate in Brooks’s approach to similar themes, though Up in Smoke leans harder into the mystery genre than either of those titles. The novel also continues themes explored in Brooks’s acclaimed debut, Promise Boys, particularly regarding justice for young Black men in a system designed to criminalize them.
For readers looking for an engrossing thriller that doesn’t shy away from hard truths about American society, Up in Smoke delivers both entertainment and enlightenment. It’s a novel that will leave readers contemplating its messages long after the mystery is solved.