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

Powell's Picks of the Month

Hand-selected books for your reading list.

Grann is a first-class narrative writer in the same category as Erik Larson, Hampton Sides, and Candice Millard. Killers of the Flower Moon is equally spooky, educational, and riveting. Wealthy Native Americans are dying one by one in a small community in Oklahoma. The first half has the reader wondering who's responsible, while the second is the mystery of whether or not justice will be done.  Recommended By Jeffrey J., Powells.com

Killers of the Flower Moon is the thrilling but deeply disturbing history of the Osage murders of the 1920s. Forced onto a reservation in an inhospitable corner of Oklahoma, the Osage Indian tribe became unwitting benefactors of the vast, untapped oil riches beneath their new home. Catapulted from being one of the nation's poorest communities to the world's richest, the Osage became targets for racist politicians and criminals, who envied and despised the tribe's new wealth. Only after the suspicious deaths of dozens of Osage Indians did the federal government step in to investigate, under the auspices of the cowboy lawman Tom White and the newly minted FBI. Equal parts murder mystery and scathing exposé of the U.S. treatment of Native Americans, David Grann has crafted a true crime history that entertains even as it forces the reader to confront the evils of our national past and the uncomfortable parallels visible today. Recommended By Rhianna W., Powells.com

Killers of the Flower Moon tells the shocking story of a horrible series of crimes. In the 1920s after oil was discovered on their land, the members of Osage Indian Nation became the richest people per capita in the world. Soon thereafter, they began to be slowly and systematically murdered. The newly formed FBI became involved, and its young ambitious director, J. Edgar Hoover, sought to make a name for the bureau (and himself) by solving this case. The story is thoroughly researched and told with compassion and empathy by New Yorker staff writer David Grann. It’s utterly mind-blowing that these terrible events have mostly gone unknown… until now. Recommended By Shawn D., Powells.com

From New Yorker staff writer David Grann, #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Lost City of Z, a twisting, haunting true-life murder mystery about one of the most monstrous crimes in American history.
 
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, they 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. Her relatives were shot and poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more and more members of the tribe 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 like Al Spencer, the Phantom Terror, roamed many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll climbed to more than twenty-four, the FBI took up the case. It was one of the organization s first major homicide investigations and the bureau badly bungled the case. In desperation, the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including one of the only American Indian agents in the bureau. The agents infiltrated the region, struggling to adopt the latest techniques of detection. Together with the Osage they began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.

In Killers of the Flower Moon, David Grann revisits a shocking series of crimes in which dozens of people were murdered in cold blood. Based on years of research and startling new evidence, the book is a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, as each step in the investigation reveals a series of sinister secrets and reversals. But more than that, it is a searing indictment of the callousness and prejudice toward American Indians that allowed the murderers to operate with impunity for so long. Killers of the Flower Moon is utterly compelling, but also emotionally devastating.

"This page-turner surges forward with the pacing of a true-crime thriller, elevated by Grann's crisp and evocative prose and enhanced by dozens of period photographs. Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil." Kirkus Reviews (Starred Revew)

"Grann employs you-are-there narrative effects to set readers right in the action, and he relays the humanity, evil, and heroism of the people involved. His riveting reckoning of a devastating episode in American history deservedly captivates." Booklist (Starred Review)

"A spellbinding book about the largest serial murder investigation you've never heard of, which will be enjoyed by fans of the Old West as well as true crime aficionados." Library Journal (Starred Review)

"Killers of the Flower Moon brings shattering resolve to a story that resonates now. As Native Americans fighting to protect resources on the remnants of our lands, we confront the same paternalism, hypocrisy, and greed that destroyed Osage lives and culture in the early 1920's. David Grann has a razor keen instinct for suspense. He shapes outrage into a principled steady insistence that voice be given to the victims and their descendants. He creates deeply human portraits of every character in this drama the evil, the just, the innocent, the doomed. Through meticulous detective work, Grann rescues unbearable truth. As with all of his books, this is a mesmerizing read." Louise Erdrich, National Book Award-winning author of The Round House and LaRose

"If Killers of the Flower Moon were a novel, one would marvel at David Grann's skill in constructing such a taut, driving narrative with so many stunning plot twists. But it is a true story, based on years of meticulous reporting, making the book both a fiercely entertaining mystery story and a wrenching exploration of evil." Kate Atkinson, New York Times bestselling author of A God in Ruins and Life After Life

"Killers of the Flower Moon is a magnificent book a riveting true story of greed, serial murder, and racial injustice that exposes an extremely disturbing episode of American History. David Grann is a terrific journalist, and this is maybe the best thing he s ever written." Jon Krakauer, New York Times bestselling author of Missoula and Into Thin Air

"Quite simply, this is a remarkable book, by a remarkable author an exhumation of a shockingly brutal series of historical murders, that I for one knew nothing about. Utterly original; completely compelling." Erik Larson, New York Times bestselling author of Dead Wake and Devil in the White City

"Killers of the Flower Moon is an exceedingly rare book: at the same time a riveting, page-turning mystery and a deeply researched, serious work of nonfiction. This stunning story had been lost to time. Now, thanks to David Grann, it will never again be forgotten." Candice Millard, New York Times bestselling author of Hero of the Empire

"A fascinating account of a tragic and forgotten chapter in the history of the American West. As in all his work, David Grann digs deep, and this powerful story reveals the unimaginable scale of theseshocking murders almost a hundred years ago." John Grisham, New York Timesbestselling author of The Whistler

"Loyal readers of David Grann's books have come to expect jaw-dropping set-ups and brilliantly crafted narratives. Both are on full, dazzling display here. There is an unexpected bonus in the book's final section, when Grann puts on his deer-stalking hat and proceeds to solve several 85-year-old, unsolved crimes." S.C Gwynne, New York Times bestselling author of Rebel Yell and Empire of the Summer Moon

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST

"Disturbing and riveting...It will sear your soul." --Dave Eggers, New York Times Book Review

SHELF AWARENESS'S BEST BOOK OF 2017

Named a best book of the year by Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, GQ, Time, Newsday, Entertainment Weekly, Time Magazine, NPR's Maureen Corrigan, NPR's "On Point," Vogue, Smithsonian, Cosmopolitan, Seattle Times, Bloomberg, Lit Hub's "Ultimate Best Books," Library Journal, Paste, Kirkus, Slate.com and Book Browse

From New Yorker staff writer David Grann, #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Lost City of Z, a twisting, haunting true-life murder mystery about one of the most monstrous crimes in American history

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, they 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. Her relatives were shot and poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more and more members of the tribe 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 like Al Spencer, the "Phantom Terror," roamed--many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll climbed to more than twenty-four, the FBI took up the case. It was one of the organization's first major homicide investigations and the bureau badly bungled the case. In desperation, the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including one of the only American Indian agents in the bureau. The agents infiltrated the region, struggling to adopt the latest techniques of detection. Together with the Osage they began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.
In Killers of the Flower Moon, David Grann revisits a shocking series of crimes in which dozens of people were murdered in cold blood. Based on years of research and startling new evidence, the book is a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, as each step in the investigation reveals a series of sinister secrets and reversals. But more than that, it is a searing indictment of the callousness and prejudice toward American Indians that allowed the murderers to operate with impunity for so long. Killers of the Flower Moon is utterly compelling, but also emotionally devastating.

Wayétu Moore’s remarkable debut novel, She Would Be King, is a fantastical and nuanced history of the founding of Liberia. Strikingly, She Would Be King is less concerned with the politics of the 19th century — though those are thoughtfully explored — than with the origin stories of the many peoples who ended up within the Liberian territory...

Read More»

My newest book is called Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. It’s about the Osage Indians who, in the early 20th century, became the richest people per capita in the world after oil was discovered under their reservation in Oklahoma. Then they began to be mysteriously murdered off...

Read More»

I’ve gravitated this year toward books that make me feel energized and, conversely, those that slow me down, because sometimes I want to get pumped up and enraged enough to fight the Man and other times I just want to understand him/her/they...

Read More»