Press and Media
Best Summer Books 2023
"There's no better way to cool down in the summer than with a century-old cold case. In 1923, flapper Dot King's murder in Midtown Manhattan had the nation gripped in scandal, leaving behind a trail of clues strewn throughout Broadway's dark underbelly and beyond for trail-blazing journalist Julia Harpman — and author Sara DiVello — to uncover." Read the full article here.
Book Review: True crime meets history in Sara DiVello’s 1920s murder mystery ‘Broadway Butterfly’
“Precise and transportive…DiVello’s passion for the genre is evident both in the writing and by her role as creator and host of a mystery and thriller podcast. The end result is a fascinating murder mystery packed with history.” —Associated Press
Anything Good Column, August 31, 2023
"This debut novel delivers a page-turning murder mystery that will appeal not only to thriller buffs, but readers of narrative history and historical true crime." -Joe Pompeo, senior media correspondent. Read the full article here.
Book review: Broadway Butterfly raises the curtain on real-life Jazz Age scandal
"Broadway Butterfly insightfully moves through various strata during the Roaring Twenties — the flappers, gangsters, wealthy members of high society, Harlem and journalism....DiVello’s skillful research and affinity for details make her characterization of each of these real people feel authentic." -Oline Cogdill, Sun Sentinel correspondent. Read the full book review here.
Late Summer Reads. August 3-10, 2023
"The research on this is intensive and detailed--the dark side of Broadway fame during the Roaring Twenties. A very compelling story." -Leslie Zemeckis. Read the full article here.
Our Favorite New Novels for Summer Reading
"...timed to the 100th anniversary of the real unsolved murder of a Manhattan “It" girl. DiVello’s story is centered around a female crime reporter determined to uncover the truth behind her killing." Read the full article here.
Starred Review
“Based on a confounding, never-solved true crime and featuring real-life figures, DiVello's latest offers readers all they need to reach their own verdict…DiVello will delight readers with this foray into fiction highlighting Julia Harpman and her remarkable career.”
Starred Review
“This page-turner of a story with tentacles reaching from Broadway to the White House exposes the influence of money and power. Fans of true crime and true-crime podcasts will be hooked.”
"DiVello maintains a breakneck pace from one brief, datelined chapter to the next. Her pulpy, over-the-top prose credibly evokes the era’s crime magazines, while her fidelity to the characters and the well-documented facts surrounding the unsolved murder give the story extra interest. Her meticulous care extends to a lengthy postscript tracking the subsequent lives of all those involved. A juicy Roaring ’20s crime yarn set in red-hot Manhattan." Read the full review here.
"New York City’s Jazz Age comes roaring to life in this vivid mystery from DiVello...this kaleidoscopic mystery impresses with its thoroughness and poignancy. Fans of historical true crime and stories set in the 1920s will be rapt." Read the full review here.