Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI

American history is loaded with episodes of shame. A large percentage of our less memorable moments, as a nation, have been swept under the rug, kept out of classrooms, and largely forgotten as time progresses. But these events are real and all it takes is a skilled author to bring the lost history back to life. Such is the case with Killers of the Flower Moon. I did not know anything about these murders against the Osage until I read this book, so this was a definite eye- opener for me. I had heard of the Osage tribe, yes, but I did not know they fell into tremendous oil wealth and, subsequently, saw their members slowly dying off, either through gunfire or poisoning, as greedy individuals tried to get their hands on some easy cash. The book details several of the known killings and the cold, callous, calculated murders are chilling and puzzling. Chilling, because of the gruesomeness of the murders; puzzling, because of the nonchalant behavior of those who plotted the killings. Even when confronted with the murders, most of the guilty individuals seem to have no remorse at all. They don’t even perceive what they did as immoral in any way. This book reads like a mystery thriller, however it isn’t a page- turner, like some mystery genre books. You do start to make guesses as to who is responsible, but rather than get wound up in the who- done- it, the book grips you more for its educational aspects. You learn all sorts of things about the Oklahoma region that the Osage called home. You learn about the newly formed FBI and its role in solving the mystery. You learn about the problems of racism and the feelings of superiority that people felt against Indians. And you learn just how evil people can be when vast amounts of wealth are at stake. There are several surprises in this book, and one is the book’s final section. The book leads you to believe that the mystery has been solved and it sounds like everything is coming to a close. Then suddenly, the book continues for dozens more pages as the author tries to solve more of the mystery on his own, with the aid of local Osage tribe members. No one will ever know exactly how many people were killed during this reign of terror but I like how the author took it on himself to investigate and try to answer more questions. This book is another solid, educational wakeup call on the prevalence of racism and superiority that pervaded society in the past and is rearing its ugly head once again today. I like how the book includes pictures so that you can get to know the many characters involved. With so many names and so many people involved, it’s easy to lose track of who is who. The pictures help you put a face with the name. But the most important part of this book is its educational value. It’s another sad, shameful episode from America’s past and one that we all need to know about and, hopefully, learn from.

This is an excellent true crime book. I would not place it in the same league as the best true crime books (The Onion Field, In Cold Blood, Sidney Kirkpatrick’s wonderful A Cast of Killers, e.g.) but it is very good. The problem is that true crime entails historical restraints. The key lesson (mini-SPOILER) of Killers of the Flower Moon is that there were a multiplicity of killers; the omnipresent examples of human cruelty and greed result in a judgment of human nature itself, one far more extreme than expected. The problem is that the actual narrative is compromised in the process. We think we know who did it; then we find out that someone else did it as well and someone else and someone else. The narrative becomes complicated and extended, the cast of characters grows; everything becomes a little confusing and the tidy outline of the Aristotelian plot is lost. Bottom line: the book is a little too difficult to follow and it becomes difficult to keep the characters straight. The subtitle suggests that the ‘birth of the FBI’ will be a key part of the story. It is, but only in the sense that one Bureau agent in particular is a key element in the investigation. The material on J. Edgar and his personality is common knowledge and ultimately the birth of the Bureau is tangential to the story of the Osage murders. The story of the black gold and how it is finally replaced by the windmills of an Italian energy company is, in some ways, more interesting. The horrific treatment of the Osage is well-known; what is not so well-known is its extent. In other words, the psychological/moral elements of the story are ultimately more interesting than the investigative ones. My bottom line: the story was chilling and moving but not riveting. Given the breadth of its readership and the resources invested in the film, I expected more. The book is essentially an examination of the depths of the darkness within the human soul; the murder investigations are less interesting. Four stars.

Uno di quei casi in cui si legge il libro dopo la visione del film. Un racconto molto interessante e dettagliato sull'avidità e sulle conseguenze dell'avidità dell'uomo

I have not heard about the Osage nation nor the atrocious crimes committed against them before I read this excellent work of researching and storytelling by David Grann. Hence, as I proceeded page after page, I was utterly enthralled by the sinister nature of the conspiracy that took place in the Osage County (if I had not read this, I would probably think the so told story was a work of fiction). This book is an outstanding reminder of the violence, corruption and greed directed to the indigenous people and that hitherto affects the life of its descendants. It is also a nice portrait of the United States in the 20th century, as well as the FBI birth and the oil boom.

Can’t wait to see the movie

Awesome book!

This is a fascinating yet deeply disturbing multi-layered account of how greed drove men to murder and of how a combination of uncaring and sloppy police work allowed them to almost escape justice. Truth be told, it was the dogged efforts of one man, Tom White, a former Texas Ranger recruited into the fledgling FBI (before it was even so-named) that must receive the lion’s share of credit for solving these crimes. The Osage Indian Nation would prove to be a wealthy one; at one time considered to be among the richest in the world. After years of struggles and hardship - mostly imposed on them and every other Native American tribe by a federal government which considered them to be “non-humans” (a belief widely held among the White population as well), the Osage finally got what they’d long sought, a permanent home. They purchased a non-descript piece of land in Oklahoma; rocky, barren and not much good for farming, but they were satisfied as were, it seems, the Federal Government and the Whites. But the satisfaction of the latter two would soon sour when it was discovered that “worthless” land sat atop one of the (at that time) largest known oil reserves in the world. The sour note was struck by the fact the lawyer the Osage hired to negotiate the land purchase got mineral rights (the rights to underground resources whatever they might be i.e., oil, coal, gold, uranium, etc.), included in the deal so that when oil was discovered on their land, every Osage tribal member became entitled to a percentage of any revenue that would flow from oil production. And some unscrupulous men wanted to not just share in that wealth, but to take control of it entirely. That is what forms the basis of David Grann’s factual accounting of all the evil these men enacted and the long hard battle to finally find justice for, and return a sense of peace to, the Osage people. Grann has written a well-laid out, researched, and what proved to me to be, a truly horrific story. I believe this to be a book of historical significance that which, upon reading, caused me to reflect on many similarities existing in the way our First Nations people (in Canada) were used and abused by governments, religious orders, and the broader “white” population. And while on the surface it would seem efforts are being made to examine past events; to expose the truth and to seek reconciliation for the many wrongs imposed or inflicted, there remains a long road ahead. We must all work hard to complete that journey.