About this book
Killers of the Flower Moon investigates a wave of killings of Osage people in Oklahoma during the 1920s. The Osage had kept the mineral rights beneath their reservation, and when oil was found there many became wealthy, which made them targets for those who wanted that wealth for themselves.
David Grann tells the story partly through Mollie Burkhart, an Osage woman whose family was devastated by the murders, and partly through Tom White, the investigator sent by the young Bureau of Investigation, which would later become the FBI. Grann writes with the pace of a true-crime story, but he goes further than a single case, using archival research to show how widespread the conspiracy was and how much went unpunished.
The book handles its subject with care and respect for the Osage community whose history it tells. Readers interested in the American West and its injustices can continue with Empire of the Summer Moon; those who like history told as investigation should try The Devil in the White City.
Who it’s for
Gripping for anyone who likes true crime or investigative history; very readable, with distressing subject matter.
Editions vary by publisher and format. Check the retailer’s listing for the edition, translation and format before you buy.