Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match" where we introduce you to authors you may fall in love with. It's our great pleasure to present Sara DiVello!
Writes: True Crime Thrillers.
About: BROADWAY BUTTERFLY is true story of the murder of Dot King, a scandalous flapper in 1923 New York City, and the ramifications that ripple from the gangster underworld all the way up to the White House.
I’m a true-crime junkie—I listen to podcasts, watch documentaries, and love going down the research rabbit hole afterwards. I’m #TeamTwain! I think Mark Twain was right: truth IS stranger than fiction, and I love leaning into that in writing true stories. At the same time, I love the page-turning readability of mysteries and thrillers. I tried to combine the two best parts of these in my book! I grew up reading Nancy Drew, (anyone relate?). When I’m not reading or writing, I love to cook, eat, and go for long walks with my husband and our rescue mutt, Pelu.
What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match:
Calling true-crime junkies, mystery and thriller fans, and historical/Roaring Twenties lovers! If you love scandalous showgirls, determined detectives, feisty flappers, dedicated reporters, and a cast of fabulous characters in a wild and true story, give me a try!
What to expect if we're compatible:
- You can trust the research, facts, and details are true: I spent nine years researching and writing this book
- You’ll learn cool/fun little facts as you’re also (hopefully!) wildly entertained, such as: the terms “sugar daddy” and “sugar baby” come from this case.
- You’ll probably want to go down the research rabbit hole after you read this! You’ll want to learn more about Dot King, Julia Harpman, Detective John D. Coughlin, Frances Stotesbury, Ella Bradford, and Hilda Ferguson. Fortunately, I’ve got just what you need! In addition to the book, I created a behind the scenes treasure trove of photos and facts, and I share my research journey on my website.
New York in the Roaring Twenties—a riveting true-crime novel, based on one of the most notorious unsolved murders of the era, where power, politics, and secrets conspire to bury the truth.
Manhattan, 1923. Scandalous flapper Dot King is found dead in her Midtown apartment, a bottle of chloroform beside her and a fortune in jewels missing. Dot’s headline-making murder grips the city. It also draws a clutch of lovers, parasites, and justice seekers into one of the city’s most mesmerizing mysteries.
Among them: Daily News crime reporter Julia Harpman, chasing the story while navigating a male-dominated industry; righteous NYPD detective John D. Coughlin, struggling against city corruption; and Ella Bradford, the victim’s Harlem maid, closest confidante, and keeper of secrets. Adding fuel to the already volatile crime: a politically connected Philadelphia socialite, an Atlantic City bootlegger, Dot’s dicey gigolo lover, a sultry Broadway dancer, and a cagey sugar daddy guarding secrets of his own.
From Broadway’s glittering lights to its sordid underbelly to the machinations of the country’s most powerful men, Julia embarks on a quest for justice. What she discovers, twist after breathtaking twist, might be even more nefarious than murder.
Thriller Historical | Thriller Police Procedural [Thomas & Mercer, On Sale: August 1, 2023, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781662510151 / ]
Sara DiVello is a true-crime novelist and the author of, Broadway Butterfly: A Thriller is about the unsolved murder of a Manhattan It Girl in 1923…and the shocking ramifications that ripple from the gangster underworld all the way to the White House. It was sold at auction and will be published by Thomas & Mercer August 1, 2023.
Sara a life-long passionate reader and mystery-lover. Sara loves chatting all things books, the joy of reading, the craft of writing, and connecting readers to their favorite authors…or introducing them to their new favorites!
She is the creator of the “Mystery and Thriller Mavens Author Interview Series,” to shine a light on her favorite genre and authors. Now streaming in collaboration with Murder by the Book, she has hosted over 300 mystery and thriller author interviews since the pandemic descended.
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