BROADWAY BUTTERFLY by Sara DiVello
When Manhattan It Girl Dot King was found murdered in her apartment on West 57th Street in 1923, the case became a public sensation—dominating the headlines in every major newspaper across the country and enthralling readers with the sordid, juicy details as they debated “whodunnit.” Dot had been the mistress of a very wealthy member of high society—as well as the lover of a shady character who became the primary suspect but avoided arrest—and her list of acquaintances spanned the gamut from the underbelly of Broadway to the halls of power and prestige.
The shocking ramifications rippled from the gangster underworld all the way to the White House, and some of the nation’s most powerful men insured that the case was closed before the murderer could be brought to justice. Now, a century later, this remarkable story is brought to life through the meticulous research, dogged curiosity, and vibrant imagination of Sara DiVello, who has been consumed by the case and its fascinating cast of characters for close to a decade. The result is BROADWAY BUTTERFLY, DiVello’s true crime historical thriller, to be published in hardcover by Thomas & Mercer on August 1, 2023.
In the novel, DiVello channels Julia Harpman, an ace crime reporter for the New York Daily News who chases the story while navigating a male-dominated industry. Harpman was one of the pioneering women of journalism, risking her career, her marriage, and her very life to boldly undertake a private investigation and print an expose revealing the privilege and corruption behind the injustice. Harpman’s courage, daring, and rightful place in history had been forgotten by time…until the publication of this book.
With the same tenacity as Harpman, DiVello searched for clues to reconstruct the sequence of events, understand the motivations and personalities of the people involved, and determine the nuances and pressures that eventually suffocated the case. Her research led her to the University of Pennsylvania Rare Books Collection, Columbia University’s Rare Books Collection, the Morgan Library and Museum’s Reading Room, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Museum, and the New York City Public Library’s Microfilm Department, where she scrolled through rolls of microfiche and printed Julia Harpman’s articles. She interviewed professors, detectives, forensic pathologists, and a psychic who works with the police and FBI to solve cold cases.
BROADWAY BUTTERFLY is told with historical accuracy, as well as with cultural sensitivity. While meantto entertain,the book represents an enduring questfor justice set against a backdrop of power, money, class, race, gender, truth, and politics. Every character was a real person, and Sara DiVello set out to honor their lives and their memories with a compassionate retelling of their stories. It’s a riveting and compulsive true crime mystery that examines the political powers at play and presents compelling evidence for who the killer really was…and how he literally got away with murder.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sara DiVello is a true crime novelist and the creator/host of Mystery and Thriller Mavens, a popular interactive Facebook group. For her weekly Mystery and Thriller Mavens live events, she has interviewed more than 300 authors, ranging from the bestselling and world-renowned (Dean Koontz, Patricia Cornwell, Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver, Tamron Hall, Karin Slaughter, Ruth Ware, Lisa Unger, and many more) to the buzziest debuts.
In her spare time, she loves to teach yoga, cook (and eat!), garden, and go for leisurely walks with her husband and their beloved rescue mutt, Peluda. Sara is passionate about all things books (especially mysteries and thrillers), the craft of writing, and connecting readers to their favorite authors, as well as introducing them to their new discoveries. She splits her time between New York City and Boston.
Sara DiVello’s website: www.saradivello.com
Mystery and Thriller Mavens: www.mysteryandthrillermavens.com
Instagram: @saradivello
Facebook: AuthorSaraDiVello
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