Leila Mottley has based her first novel, Nightcrawling, on a case in 2015 when there was a story about police officers in the Oakland area participating in the sexual exploitation of a young woman and the subsequent cover up. At the age of seventeen the author started writing this novel about a fictional character, Keira, who finds herself in a similar situation. Keira is a young black woman who shares an apartment with her older brother following the death of their father and the imprisonment of their mother. Her brother, Marcus, spends his time attempting to emulate the musical success of their uncle, Ty. As he refuses to look for work Keira tries to find sufficient work to pay their rent and living costs while spending a lot of time looking after a nine year old boy. Dee, Trevor's mother, is Keira's neighbour and has a habit of disappearing leaving Trevor on his own. After the landlord raises the rent Keira finds it impossible to cover their living costs and resorts to the street. This is a powerful and moving story particularly as it's based on the earlier report. It's unthinkable and, to most people, completely unacceptable that young women should be in such a position. This novel will undoubtedly serve to highlight these problems and hopefully will signal a change of attitudes in everyone involved within the police and justice system.