Killers of the Flower Moon: Oil, Money, Murder and the Birth of the FBI
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-28 11:57:41
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：David Grann
- ISBN：0857209035
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
In the 1920s， the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma。 After oil was discovered beneath their land， the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles， built mansions， and sent their children to study in Europe。
Then， one by one， they began to be killed off。 One Osage woman， Mollie Burkhart， watched as her family was murdered。 Her older sister was shot。 Her mother was then slowly poisoned。 And it was just the beginning， as more Osage began to die under mysterious circumstances。
In this last remnant of the Wild West—where oilmen like J。 P。 Getty made their fortunes and where desperadoes such as Al Spencer， “the Phantom Terror，” roamed – virtually anyone who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered。 As the death toll surpassed more than twenty-four Osage， the newly created F。B。I。 took up the case， in what became one of the organization’s first major homicide investigations。 But the bureau was then notoriously corrupt and initially bungled the case。 Eventually the young director， J。 Edgar Hoover， turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery。 White put together an undercover team， including one of the only Native American agents in the bureau。 They infiltrated the region， struggling to adopt the latest modern techniques of detection。 Together with the Osage they began to expose one of the most sinister conspiracies in American history。
A true-life murder mystery about one of the most monstrous crimes in American history。
Reviews
Turesa Lewis
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Compelling History is one of my best subjects。 I enjoyed how the author took me back in history as the murders started。 I also enjoyed learning about the Osage tribe。
Laurie
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A stunning book， an evil story of a Reign of Terror in Oklahoma in the early part of the twentieth century。 As a history buff I am shocked that I have never heard of the Osage murders， or the rampant abuse and criminality。 AAsurprising number of people conspired to murder dozens， maybe hundreds， of Osage for their inherited headrights， all part of a culture of murder。 I understand one of the streaming services has optioned this， which will bring it to more attention。 Racial injustice at a level A stunning book， an evil story of a Reign of Terror in Oklahoma in the early part of the twentieth century。 As a history buff I am shocked that I have never heard of the Osage murders， or the rampant abuse and criminality。 AAsurprising number of people conspired to murder dozens， maybe hundreds， of Osage for their inherited headrights， all part of a culture of murder。 I understand one of the streaming services has optioned this， which will bring it to more attention。 Racial injustice at a level that is sickening and bereft of humanity。 。。。more
Micheal Williams
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The writer is so talented。 You can publish you work on NovelStar App and earn big time。
Stephen
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There is history which is important yet lies unknown。 This book is about the Osage Terror of the 1920's which chronicles the greed which leads to murder。 Oh， such a shame。 There is history which is important yet lies unknown。 This book is about the Osage Terror of the 1920's which chronicles the greed which leads to murder。 Oh， such a shame。 。。。more
Regen Weber
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I honestly can’t believe that I had never heard of this horrible history before。 This was a good book， and I’m glad I got to read it。
Lynda Meyer
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I spent many years in the public schools in Oklahoma and never knew about these murders。 This book was fascinating yet disturbing。 As finished it I realized what generational trauma can do and how the sins of the past can haunt us even to this day。 I also was intrigued by J Edgar Hoover and want to read more。 I have already ordered another book by David Grann。
Sarah
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Needed tellingEspecially due to the current day situation with people of color being targeted by police。 This book helps put the current day killings in perspective and sheds light on the culture which allows murder and lets murderers get away with it。 Not that I enjoyed the book; it was hard to read like a text book。 There are so many murders， murderers， conspirator， dates and circumstances that it was impossible to keep track of them。 The time span is large and the only thing holding it togeth Needed tellingEspecially due to the current day situation with people of color being targeted by police。 This book helps put the current day killings in perspective and sheds light on the culture which allows murder and lets murderers get away with it。 Not that I enjoyed the book; it was hard to read like a text book。 There are so many murders， murderers， conspirator， dates and circumstances that it was impossible to keep track of them。 The time span is large and the only thing holding it together is the systematic killing of Osage。 And that story needs to be told and remembered 。。。more
Monica
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A true story of the murders of the Osage tribe for their headrights and the corruption at the local， state， and federal level。 I have never heard of this in any of my history classes throughout my school career。 In this time of history， money was absolutely the root of all evil and these poor tribe members were labeled as nothing more than animals who were not able to control their own wealth。 They had to have guardians of their estate and they themselves were wards。 The guardians would control A true story of the murders of the Osage tribe for their headrights and the corruption at the local， state， and federal level。 I have never heard of this in any of my history classes throughout my school career。 In this time of history， money was absolutely the root of all evil and these poor tribe members were labeled as nothing more than animals who were not able to control their own wealth。 They had to have guardians of their estate and they themselves were wards。 The guardians would control their money for them。 Most of the time， the guardians were married to the ward and if the ward passed away， the guardian usually gained full control of the money。 See where I am going here？ There were 24 recorded murders， most unsolved， in the Osage tribe in the early 1920's。 The author however， has been able to conclude that the number was actually in the hundreds but were never classified as murders。 In this book， the murders were centered around one particular family， the Burkharts。 Mollie， her sisters， and her mother were all targets。 The murders were not being solved and eventually， the federal government stepped in。 Through this case the FBI was born。 This book showed the betrayal of the Osage through deception， lies， and lack of morals。 Deplorable but a really good eye opening read。 Everyone should know about this time in our history。 。。。more
Cricket Loy
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White people are the worst。
Dennis O'Daniel
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An amazing and intriguing story。 Very compelling and eye opening！ Excellent read！ A travesty of justice
Josie Lewis
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Very informative， would recommend
Lindsay
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Very in depth and will make you think。 At times there are so many names that are apart of the history， it can be a bit confusing。
Joan Guadagno
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I didn't know anything about this。 great book for book clubs I didn't know anything about this。 great book for book clubs 。。。more
Alison Bucher Rubilar
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I'm all for true crime books， so I might be biased， but David Grann did good with his research as an investigative journalist。 He found closure for some families and helped keep history， and the victims， alive。 It can be hard to face what our ancestors forced Native Americans to go through but it shouldn't be forgotten and he goes into detail about the laws imposed to make life hell for others。 Great information that everyone should read and learn。 I'm all for true crime books， so I might be biased， but David Grann did good with his research as an investigative journalist。 He found closure for some families and helped keep history， and the victims， alive。 It can be hard to face what our ancestors forced Native Americans to go through but it shouldn't be forgotten and he goes into detail about the laws imposed to make life hell for others。 Great information that everyone should read and learn。 。。。more
Adam
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What a great account of atrocities in the American southwest in the early 1900s。 This book is a true indictment of our justice system， the FBI， and our cultures views on civil and human rights！
Oliver Go
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Your story deserves a lot of audience， you can publish it on NovelStar Mobile App。
Jaque
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toller mix aus narration und geschichte， der zudem in diverse aspekte wie indigene bevölkerungen und den umgang mit ihnen durch die USA und die geschichte der polizei darstellt。
Danielle M Schirmer
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A heartbreaking part of our history that of course does not get a spotlight that it deserves。 At points this reads dry （I find this common in non-fiction work） and I feel that it does not really depict the true terror that I would think is felt during this time/place。 Work the read for any one who enjoys true crime， the history of Native Americans or the history of the FBI。
Elisabeth
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Super interesting book about a period of history of which I have little knowledge。 Our current times are full of intrigue and dirty politics， but let's not forget that this is not unique of our times。 The Osage murders seemed to be about as dirty and awful as you could get。 Sad story， but one that I am glad is being told。 Super interesting book about a period of history of which I have little knowledge。 Our current times are full of intrigue and dirty politics， but let's not forget that this is not unique of our times。 The Osage murders seemed to be about as dirty and awful as you could get。 Sad story， but one that I am glad is being told。 。。。more
Rebecca
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Writing was sub par but fascinating story
Amanda
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What happens when you dehumanize a life？ These humans are seen as a means to an end。 This is what happened in Osage County。 A large population of the Osage Native Americans are murdered for money without hesitation。 It's a stunning recounting of American history that has been largely ignored and a reminder that all humans are created equal and should be treated as such。 What happens when you dehumanize a life？ These humans are seen as a means to an end。 This is what happened in Osage County。 A large population of the Osage Native Americans are murdered for money without hesitation。 It's a stunning recounting of American history that has been largely ignored and a reminder that all humans are created equal and should be treated as such。 。。。more
John Richard
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Terribly sad。 How did we not ever learn about any of this in history？ What happened to this Native American tribe for decades up until the 1930s was just horrible。 I liked the first two parts of the books the most as they were more “story-like”。Last part was a bit harder to read as it talked directly about the author （like he does in Lost City of Z）。 It was just depressing basically throwing open the number of murdering money-hungry criminals to almost every non-Osage person in the area。 And the Terribly sad。 How did we not ever learn about any of this in history？ What happened to this Native American tribe for decades up until the 1930s was just horrible。 I liked the first two parts of the books the most as they were more “story-like”。Last part was a bit harder to read as it talked directly about the author （like he does in Lost City of Z）。 It was just depressing basically throwing open the number of murdering money-hungry criminals to almost every non-Osage person in the area。 And they weren’t all connected。 People just decided to get up and marry people and live with them/have babies。。。and then slowly poison them or kill in some other way until they could inherit their oil rights。 Like they actually saw these people as not fully human and therefore killable。 And the head hauncho after being paroled on his life sentence said he “wanted to move back there and that the Osage never had a friend more than he was to them” —What kinda twisted business is that？ Anyway， educational for sure。 More “mystery” like for the first half。。。but definitely don’t read if you’re really empathetic or squirmish。 。。。more
Laura
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Never a better time to talk about DEFUNDING THE POLICE than reading a book （white woman moment） about the infancy of the FBI， when they congratulated themselves （settled） for one or two killers of Osage American Indians instead of the complex and collective white supremacists who killed “scores” of people。Seriously one of the most interesting， well-written， fast-paced， draw-dropping tales of how f-ed up our country truly is。 Cannot wait for the movie adaptation。
Tasha
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Insane story。 Can't wait to see the movie。 Insane story。 Can't wait to see the movie。 。。。more
Amy Blehm
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Greed， white superiority， injustice， and murder。 I knew nothing of this historic tragedy prior to reading this book。 Grann brings the cold blooded， greed fueled murders of Osage Indians to life through his adept and thorough research。 This true crime piece of nonfiction is dense in details and flows slowly。 But ultimately the details， and the book as a whole， are necessary and well honor the Osage by highlighting the tragedy and injustice brought upon them。
Ryan
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One should never be surprised at depth and multitude of horrors inflicted on American Indians by whites in the United States， but I was surprised how truly little I knew about this period of American history。 Set mainly during the 1920's， the Osage of Oklahoma were being systematically murdered for their headrights; the claims they had to mineral rights which lay under the land the US government presumed worthless when they were relocated there。 Like all institutional racism， it is reliant on a One should never be surprised at depth and multitude of horrors inflicted on American Indians by whites in the United States， but I was surprised how truly little I knew about this period of American history。 Set mainly during the 1920's， the Osage of Oklahoma were being systematically murdered for their headrights; the claims they had to mineral rights which lay under the land the US government presumed worthless when they were relocated there。 Like all institutional racism， it is reliant on a system to embolden and execute; here， the tribe has earned millions of dollars making it the richest per capita people is the USA， and throughout much of the world。 But they are often denied access to their money which is largely monitored and doled out by white guardians。 And when they did get access， they were murdered by （likely） multiple predators with a multitude of schemes。 Enter the Bureau of Investigation， led by the young and hungry J。 Edgar Hoover， who would reshape the bureau in his image as it transformed into the modern FBI and cut its teeth on the multiple murder case。 While they did uncover one plot， others fell by the wayside and in the closing chapter， we shift to the writers perspective and the frustration with pursuing a case gone cold for nearly 100 years; no one left alive to question or prosecute， just old wounds that are ripped open or never healed。 It's a fascinating true crime book that is as illuminating as it is page-turning。I read this one mostly while traveling， spending quiet afternoons with my parents， but did pair it with some Bill Orcutt and Sandy Bull a couple times， as well as returning to Tomanga's latest Intimate Immensity。 。。。more
Emily
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Excellent true crime！
Brett
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Incredibly disorganized。 Needs to figure out what to focus on and when。 My note if you're going to tell a story about a massacre forgotten by history。 Don't spend 90% of the book talking about the detective who literally said "I don't want it conveyed that I am the whole story" then have some talk on a few victims and then add 6 pages of other victims right at the end of the book。 Incredibly disorganized。 Needs to figure out what to focus on and when。 My note if you're going to tell a story about a massacre forgotten by history。 Don't spend 90% of the book talking about the detective who literally said "I don't want it conveyed that I am the whole story" then have some talk on a few victims and then add 6 pages of other victims right at the end of the book。 。。。more
Ann Cromie
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Reads like a true crime novel。 It was a chilling and deeply troubling time。 The story gets five stars， but the writing was somewhat monotonous at times， so overall a 4 star review。
Becky
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