Book Review: Killers of the Flower Moon

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
Publisher: Doubleday
Publication Date: April 18, 2017
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Publisher’s Description:

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage 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, the Osage began to be killed off. The family of an Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, became a prime target. One of her relatives was shot. Another was poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more and more Osage were dying under mysterious circumstances, and many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered.

As the death toll rose, the newly created FBI took up the case, and 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 a Native American agent who infiltrated the region, and together with the Osage began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.

Killers of the Flower Moon is a well-researched account of what happened to the Osage. Unfortunately, we’ll never know for sure the extent of the murders and who was responsible for them. Some of the people were caught and convicted but there were surely more people involved. It’s speculated that hundreds of Osage deaths were murders.

I watched the movie of the same name, which is based on the book, when it first came out. I chose to read the book because liked the movie, but I wanted more of the nitty gritty details of the time. Even though the movie is over three hours long, it doesn’t delve into the specifics of the law, for example, how the government was able to declare fully functioning Native Americans incompetent and take over their finances. The movie expanded on and embellished a lot of what happened for dramatic effect. After you subtract the copious number of notes, the book is less than 300 pages long. There’s not enough material for a three-hour movie!

I recommend Killers of the Flower Moon to everyone who is addicted to true crime documentaries and podcasts. You know who you are!