When you think of a true crime novel, do you think of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood? It’s a classic, but Sara DiVello follows in his footsteps with the compelling book, Broadway Butterfly. If you’re a fan of true crime or true crime podcasts, you might want to try this novel.

In March, 1923, the scandalous flapper Dot King was found dead in her apartment. Her Black maid, Ella Bradford, found her. She knew her client was murdered, even though the first policeman on the scene called it suicide. But, Inspector John D. Coughlin, commander of the Detective Division in Manhattan, raked that man over the coals. It was easy to see that Dot King did not tear her apartment apart and kill herself with chloroform.

Julia Harpman, a reporter for the Daily News, covered the story from the very beginning. King, known as “The Broadway Butterfly”, had a string of men, including her gigolo lover and a mysterious Mr. Marshall, a pseudonym for a wealthy man no one could identify. When Marshall’s identity is revealed, the story takes a different turn. Harpman says it’s not just about the story. “It’s also about social class, and right from wrong, and the fact that justice shouldn’t be for sale.”

DiVello tells this story of influence and political corruption from multiple viewpoints. Although Julia Harpman won’t give up on the story of Dot King’s murder, Coughlin thinks he has the killer, but is stymied by the DA’s office. Ella Bradford has keys to Dot King’s murder, but as a Black working woman in 1920s New York City, she’s afraid to call attention to herself. Then, there’s the wealthy wife of “Mr. Marshall”, a victim of her husband’s philandering, and the scandalous news stories.

DiVello’s Broadway Butterfly is based on Dot King’s unsolved murder in 1923. DiVello researched the case for years. In fact, the concluding chapter tells what happened to the real people involved in this case. The result is a gripping page turner.

Broadway Butterfly by Sara DiVello. Thomas & Mercer, 2023. ISBN 9781662510137 (hardcover), 432p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a copy from the publisher, with no promise of a review.