The unsolved murder of the beautiful Dot King captivated New York. But the hype around the case proved insufficient motivation to catch the killer. So what happened?

In “Broadway Butterfly,” a jazzy true crime historical thriller, author Sara DiVello unearths piles of evidence and presents them through witnesses, detectives and journalists in an attempt to find out what happened to the fast-living, generous and ambitious young woman whose life was suddenly and mysteriously snuffed out.

The chapters go around between reporter Julia Harpman, inspector John D. Coughlin, and Dot’s maid and confidant Ella Bradford. Each takes on their own lexicon for a personal feel of character — Julia is obsessed with reporting and the hustle of being a pioneer newspaperwoman, and sees herself as a righteous champion of women. Coughlin is a hardened policeman whose preconceived ideas of others are solidified, and he’s constantly surprised at “girls these days” living and traveling alone, and at Broadway women’s apparent lack of moral values. Ella came from the South and, while she sees more opportunity and less overt racist violence and segregation in New York, is well aware of the dangers she and her family face simply by her connection with a murdered white woman.

Then there’s Frances Stotesbury Mitchell, a high society woman with equally high connections getting ready to host the scandal-ridden President Warren G. Harding in Palm Beach ahead of his renomination. For those not already familiar with the history, it’s not until about a third of the way through “Broadway Butterfly” that it becomes clear why her narrative is woven into the broader story at all. Then, it becomes integral.

Julia herself notes early on that people have a way of seeing themselves as a hero — a forecast of her own hubris.

So many things muddy the investigation: newbies on the force who make rookie mistakes, oldies who make assumptions, bad interrogation techniques, raw deals, classism, racism, sexism, and flat-out corruption. DiVello captures it all, revelations unfolding one by one as tips roll in from sources and shady deals are made, replete with all the ′20s slang and swanky synonyms a person could hope for, and smoking everywhere all the time. The tone is precise and transportive.

The end result is a fascinating murder mystery packed with history. However, its repetitiveness presents a sticking point. While it underscores characters, it undermines the pacing. The book feels unnecessarily long. Still, “Broadway Butterfly” is an enjoyable read loaded with factoids I might never have been aware of otherwise.

Associated Press

By Sara DiVello, Thomas & Mercer, $18.54. Grade: B+