Reading order#
| # |
Title |
Published |
Author |
Buy on Amazon |
| 1 |
Nightcrawling |
2022 |
Leila Mottley |
Buy |
| 2 |
The Girls Who Grew Big |
2025 |
Leila Mottley |
Buy |
Leila Mottley’s debut novel Nightcrawling (2022) made a major splash. It was picked by the Oprah Book Club, longlisted for the Booker Prize, and praised for its unflinching look at life in Oakland. The story draws on a real scandal involving Oakland police officers and sex trafficking.
Her second novel, The Girls Who Grew Big, is expected in 2025. Mottley’s fiction is rooted in the Oakland neighborhoods where she grew up, and her writing has a poet’s ear for rhythm and voice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books are in the Leila Mottley Standalone Novels series?
There are two books in the Leila Mottley Standalone Novels series, published between 2022 and 2025.
What is the first book in the Leila Mottley Standalone Novels series?
The first book in the Leila Mottley Standalone Novels series is Nightcrawling, published in 2022.
What is Nightcrawling about?
Nightcrawling follows Kiara, a young Black woman in Oakland who gets pulled into a sex trafficking scandal involving local police officers. It is based on a real case from 2015 and explores how institutions fail the people they are supposed to protect.