Killers of the Flower Moon: Oil, Money, Murder and the Birth of the FBI

test review this is just test review you can delete later

it´s even more detailed than the movie,a very tragic story, I would read it again.

In the same vain as "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," and it will make you just as angy.

I was completely ignorant of the tale this book tells. I did not know anything about the Osage, their oil rights or their being murdered for them. It’s sad that I’m not surprised that these events happened. The attitudes at the time toward Native Americans saw them as lessor humans. The same people that were supposed to be helping them were doing anything but.The basics of the tale are the Osage moved onto land in Oklahoma that no one thought had any value. A wise tribal leader had it written into the land agreement that the tribe would maintain the rights to what was underground as well. This proved to be very smart as soon oil was discovered – a LOT of oil. Each headright as they were called was worth quite a bit of money as time went on. Soon the Osage were rolling in money and this led to fair amount of resentment.Then the bodies started piling up. At first the investigations were haphazard and less than productive. As the death toll rose the outcry was such that the Federal Government sent in an investigator – from the nascent FBI – to sort out what was going on. This was the first big case for the bureau after J. Edgar Hoover took charge after the Teapot Dome Scandal. He wanted (and needed) to prove the Bureau could do a good job.The man sent in for the job, Tom White, a former Texas Ranger found himself trying to solve a case that seemed to lead to more and more murders. As he investigation led to its conclusion he found a long list of people taking advantage of the Osage people.But the end of White’s investigation is not the end of the story. As Mr. Grann was investigating the story he found many more stories of death and abuse of Osage at the hands of white people in town; either family members or the guardians who were supposed to be protecting people. He discovered there is still a lot left unsettled in this Oklahoma community.I was shocked, horrified, appalled and disgusted at this piece of history. Not to mention the general, political corruption described within. It seems that money truly is an evil influence and for certain people they are truly willing to do anything to amass large quantities of it. I wanted to cry for what was done to these families for oil and the money it brought in. The Osage that pushed for investigations were often left with a feeling of no one cared because they were just Indians so was it really murder anyway?The book is well written, very well researched and decidedly hard to put down. It reads in parts likes like a novel because it’s truly hard to believe that people can behave this way but truth, as they say is stranger than fiction and this book proves that for sure. All I can write is read this book. I think it is important that abuses like this should not be lost to history. They need to be remembered so as to not be forgotten.Read this book.

Fascinating historical non-fiction about the Osage tribe, who resettled on seemingly barren land after being displaced by the American government and ended up making millions off of oil found on their land. As you can tell from the title, this influx of wealth did not go well for the Osage. This extremely thoroughly researched book follows two principle actors in the story while the final third steps back and provides some of the author's work researching it and the overall, historical perspective. The narrative lags at times and sometimes feels like too much "human interest" is shoved in there, but the basic story and the evidence from the primary sources makes it a worthwhile read.Personally, the devastation wrought upon the Osage by the greed and indifference of their white neighbours is horrifying. It also shows how both individual malice and systemic racism both were at play in murders of potentially hundreds of Osage people. It wasn't just one evil man, but it wasn't some untouchable overarching force of nature either, it was a lot of people who made the conscious decision that money was worth more than the life of an Osage person. It is worth being reminded that this happened within a generation of when the book was written and its effects are still being felt today.

Having read the book when it was first published, I knew the story. Listening to it unfold was very different from reading it. Somehow the evil of the perpetrators was more shocking, more barbaric, more horrific when read aloud. It’s a masterwork of a shameful part of American history. Highly recommended.

There seems to be no end of the atrocities about which they did not teach me in school. I hope schools are doing better now and this book might help. The Osage tribe was driven from its original land by the US government, forced to sell their land in Kansas and ultimately moved to Oklahoma. They selected the Osage Territory in Oklahoma because it was so barren and worthless that they didn't think that the white people would try to push them away again. They were wrong. I can't even begin to detail all of the terrible things that the government did to the Osage, but it included leaving them starving in a territory where they couldn't hunt and were unfamiliar with the necessary farming techniques. The US also tried to pay them for their Kansas property with useless supplies rather than cash. The children were forced into schools for assimilation. When oil was discovered on the Osage land each registered member of the tribe held a share of the mineral rights and became fabulously wealthy. The rights could be inherited, but not sold. From then on the Osage had more to worry about than the government. During the 1920s the Osage were subjected to venomous treatment by white swindlers. The government deemed itself entitled to monitor the spending habits of the Osage and appointed guardians to handle the money of some of them. Guess who got appointed. And then the murders began. A group or groups of conspirators were killing the Osage by shooting, poisoning or blowing up their houses in order to concentrate ownership of the mineral rights so they could be more easily exploited. Law enforcement investigators who got too close to the truth of the murders also turned up dead. Finally, the FBI managed to arrest at least some, but not all, of the men responsible for the murders and convictions were obtained. The Depression and the depletion of the oil deposits made the wealth disappear. The first two parts of this nonfiction book dealing with the murders and the investigation read like a novel. The final part was somewhat more dry, but still interesting. The book is very thoroughly researched and compellingly written. It left me feeling outrage, fury and disgust.I received a free copy of the ebook from the publisher but I listened to the audiobook borrowed from the library and used the ebook only to see the photographs of many of the people and places referred to in the book. Of the three narrators of the audiobook, my favorite was Will Patton in part two. The ebook has extensive footnotes and a bibliography.

This has been the hot book of Tulsa this summer. Probably the most butchered title also. As a librarian, I have gotten really good at figuring out that our customers wanted this book when they ask for "Flower Killers," "Moon Flowers," or "Flower Killer Moon."

"Killers of the Flower Moon" is the story of Osage Indians being murdered for mineral rights or headrights in Oklahoma. However, the story is deeper and darker then that. It's about white man's greed, systematic injustice towards the Osage, and the lack of justice. It's also about the beginning of the FBI and how Hoover parlayed the agents' case into a national spotlight on the burgeoning FBI.

This was right in my wheelhouse as it was a great combination of true crime and history. Add to that description it happened not far from where I currently live and it definitely felt like history was close enough to touch.

Recommended if you enjoy true crime, history...I would recommend this to anyone. Toss it in their hand and say, "You must read this. We must do better than our history."

"Because the Osage cannot forget". A piece history that will never be taught in American schools.

I was very excited to read Grann's latest book. I love his first "The Lost City of Z" and then his book of essays proved to me I would enjoy reading anything the author writes. Indeed, "Killers of the Flower Moon" is highly readable. Unfortunately, it didn't meet my high expectations. The topic just didn't wow me. Yes, it was interesting and one I'd not known anything about before. My problem is that the book was more about the Osage than "the Birth of the FBI" as the subtitle had indicated. I'm interested in any good crime story from the past and on this the book delivered. Grann writes beautifully crisp, clear and concise while being entertaining. However, I enjoyed the FBI parts of the story most, and there just wasn't enough from that angle as opposed to the Native history angle. I'd recommend this book mostly to those interested in Native-American history.

This is a horrific account of the deaths, investigations, trials, and oversights of murders of the oil-rich Osage headright holders in the early 1920s. And of how J. Edgar Hoover used a curtailed investigation to establish himself securely in the federal hierarchy.
The murderous conspiracy, or multiple conspiracies, were carried out by men masquerading as friends and helpers of the Osage—just the sort of men who have again come to power in the USA. Let us all carefully and as securely as possible record what they will not want to survive their ascendancy, whether it is 2 years, 4 years, or the rest of our lifetimes.

True story of the horrific murders of scores of Osage, called the “Reign of Terror,” during the 1920’s in Oklahoma, and how the fledgling predecessor to the FBI investigated the crimes. The narrative is broken into three sections: in the first, we discover the gruesome murder scenes, in the second, we follow the investigation and the numerous efforts to obstruct justice, and in the third, we hear about additional related information that was uncovered almost 100 years later. Along the way, we discover interesting tidbits of Osage history. Ironically, after being forced to move from land desired by settlers to “worthless” land in Oklahoma, oil was discovered, and the Osage became extremely wealthy. It is a story of treating the Osage as less than human, a story of greed, betrayal, racism, depravity, violence, and evil.

Grann’s narrative is journalistic in style, and he moves it along at a good pace. I thought the first two sections were the strongest. The last section contains some material that Grann uncovered during his research, and it’s always distracting to me when the author inserts himself into the story. This book angered me regarding the outrages committed against these innocent people. I would like to think that in today’s world, this killing spree would be stopped sooner and those responsible brought to justice without the interferences experienced in the 1920’s. Recommended to those interested in North American history, Native American culture, and true crime. Contains graphic descriptions of violence and murder.

Another sad chapter of this country of greed and racism

Fact-filled history of murders and other crimes committed against Osage Indians in Oklahoma in the 1920s by greedy and corrupt people stealing money the Osage had received when oil was discovered under their tribal lands. Honestly, I didn’t love the book, I’m just not that much of a history buff. But the research and writing and organization were clearly top-notch. If you’re interested in American history I’d strongly recommend it.

2022 book #68. 2017. In the early 20th century, oil was discovered on Osage land in OK making them rich. In the 1920's at least 24 Osage were murdered for their oil. Only a handful of cases were solved. The FBI dropped the case after only 2 men were convicted. Book club selection

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann delves into the financial saga of the Osage Indians in Oklahoma in the 1920’s. This is a story that I have somehow missed and did not realize the wealth of the Osage tribe. These Indians faced many reservation moves due to the greed for land by the white settlers. Finally, the Osage tribe settled in Oklahoma, and then black gold was discovered, and the troubles began. Starting in 1921, little by little members of the tribe were found brutally killed. After local authorities found nothing, the FBI entered the story. A new director, J Edgar Hoover, frantically took over the investigation. Hoover instilled many ideals into his organization and earned the trust of the country. Grann writes an interesting and readable novel about this lawless time in America.

Fascinating and deeply disturbing. Could not stop reading.

This is a great non-fiction historical book about life in Oklahoma in the late 1800's and early 1900's It all starts in the 1920's in Oklahoma when the Osage Indian band were the richest people in the United State. This came about because of a far-seeing Indian chief from the Osage who made the mineral rights part of the deal withe the reservation land they were granted by the government. When Oil was struck on their land, the Osags people became very rich indeed, and as it turned out, they became prime targets for ruthless, grasping white men who were willing to do what it took to the get control of the Osage "head rights". People from the band started dying, and even though the call went our for help, no one in the US judicial system was willing to listen to them. Half of them were in rich oidmen's pockets and half just didn't care. As the death toll keeps mountimg it attracts the attention of newly appointed FBI director, J. Edgar Hoover, and he sends his best agent to assemble a team of undercover agents, and their job is to crack the case and bring the offenders to justice. But Bill Hale and his cronies are well-connected and have senators, businessmen and influential politicians on his payroll, so nothing can be proven and no one will talk. Agent Tom White and his crew worked diligently until they found a loose thread and finally got someone to talk. Even with that, the first case was kicked out of court, and they had to go back to the drawing board when they found s witness who would finally go on record and Bill Hale and his henchmen finally were placed in prison, but only for one murder. The other 24 unsolved murders (and perhaps far more then that ) were never brought to court and families received no justices. This is a true-life mass murder mystery that still haunts the halls of the FBI to this day. David Grann does a great job of combing through the records and he presents a solid case against the oil barons and what they they actually got away with in the 1920's and 1930's in Oklahoma.Well worth a read.

In 1921, Mollie Burkhart's sister Anna was murdered. Then other mysterious deaths began occurring and Mollie, an Osage woman with oil rights that made her and others of the tribe extremely wealthy, grieved for her family and sought answers for what happened.

Grann divides the narrative into three parts: the first, primarily from Mollie's perspective as deaths pile up; the second, focusing on investigator Tom White who worked for what would become the FBI; and the third - well, I'll leave the discovery of exactly what the third section does to fellow readers. Suffice it to say, you are reading history and true crime at the hands of a master of narrative nonfiction, who keeps the pages turning throughout the investigation. Photographs throughout bring the places and people to life. Grann's thorough research gives you enough background to follow it all and only occasionally gets a little too long-winded, though it's always fascinating. This is one that'll stay with me for a long time.

It's so hard to believe these awful killings happened to the Osage tribe and nothing was done about it for such a long time. There are no words...

This was an informative and disturbing history of events in the 1920s in the state of Oklahoma. For readers who are stressed out by recent political fighting in the 21st century, this story shows that the intersection of racism, power, and corruption is a longstanding theme in American affairs--both locally and nationally. I’m happy to have learned about this history, though sad to have discovered the inner workings of how the Osage were treated for so long. Overall, I’d recommend this book. However, I found the writing style distracting. I think it’s the attempt to pack the collection of many details and sequences of deep research into a narrative. The stylistic affect is that it’s aimed too low. With all the transitions of “One day, two men were out hunting,” “One day, Hale’s pastures were set on fire,” I often felt like I was reading a 6th grade SRA card. I also found that a lot of key information was appended after the main narrative, and might have been hinted at earlier for a better impact.

When the United States government created the Osage reservation, it was unaware of the extensive oil reserves underneath the surface. The oil boom brought great wealth to the Osage. It also brought great trouble. The powers that be viewed the Osage as an inferior race, incapable of managing their own wealth, and they appointed guardians to manage the Osage’s oil riches. It wasn’t uncommon for guardians to exploit their ward’s property for their own benefit.

During a period of several years in the 1920s, many Osage died violently during a “Reign of Terror.” No one knew who would be struck down next. Those who knew who was responsible for the murders weren’t talking. The corruption of local and state officials provided an opportunity for J. Edgar Hoover’s fledgling FBI to demonstrate its effectiveness on its way to becoming a national law enforcement agency.

The evidence and testimony uncovered by the FBI is disturbing enough. The added details Grann uncovered nearly a century later are even more disturbing. This is a story that could only be told from this distance in time. Would-be writers of that era would have risked their lives by probing as deeply into the evidence as Grann has done.

Excellent read! 5 stars. Full of intrigue and suspense. Very depressing though to see how the Osage tribe were taken advantage of as 2nd class citizens. Gripping story!

What an interesting, suspenseful, book. It reads like a crime novel. Great pictures of the people involved and the Oklahoma Osage communities. Part of our shameful history of how our government treated and still treats Native Americans.

This book really can highlight a few points, all can be summed by the saying "history is written by victors" ...

Although this book does tell a good story there are a lot of characters to follow and and the audio version there are different people telling the story does jump around just a little bit but overall tells a really good story. These things should be taught in American history.

DAMN! This book was worth the hype! I loved The Lost City of Z, so I'm not surprised that I loved this as well. It's dark, disturbing, wonderfully researched and written. It's truly a marvel about a dark and bloody part of United States history. This book investigates the murder of dozens (the number is likely in the hundreds) of Osage Indians during the twenties as greedy white Americans tried to wrest oil rights from them. When some of the richest oil fields in the world were found in Osage territory, the tribe suddenly became some of the wealthiest people per capita. Try as they might the government couldn't force them to move or to take their oil away from them so greedy white neighbors hatched a plot to slowly kill them off. Local officials were crooked and it took Hoover sending over some of his investigators to help curb the deaths. It's a dark and sordid take that's worth remembering. I can't give this book enough praise.

These are the kinds of things we need in our history classrooms--researched accounts of how Americans stole from and murdered members of the Osage tribe because they couldn't stand how much money the tribe members had. Devastating, and we just never ever learn from our history because we hide it.

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann had me repeating one phrase over and over again. White people suck. The entire story is a new one for me, and I found my stomach churning over the constant injustices the U. S. government forced onto the Osage tribe, along with all of the other Native American tribes. The section about the involvement of the fledgling FBI was interesting for a short period, but the tribe’s tragedy is what stays in the forefront throughout the entire narration. And so, white people suck. We always have, and it infuriates me.

Interesting subject matter but the writing itself is uneven in tone.