David Grann has completed an amazing account of the tragic history of the Osage Indians, forced off their land and then systematically murdered by greedy, corrupt white men. In the late 19th century the Osage Indians who roamed the plains of Kansas hunting buffalo had their lands taken by the white man and were forced onto a reservation in Oklahoma. The reservation land was rocky and considered worthless for Agriculture, but what no one knew back then was the black oil lying below the surface. The Osage Indians became very rich indeed. However, not trusting the Indians to use their money wisely, the government appointed guardians to control their funds and thus started a wave of corruption and outright embezzlement.

Although the land could not be sold it could be inherited by family and many white men married Indian women to try and get their land and wealth. In the 1920s it became apparent that someone was systematically killing off relatives who could inherit the land. Many Indians were poisoned by tainted moonshine or taken out into the woods and shot. Local law enforcement, lawyers and doctors were all involved in covering up the crimes and allowing the guilty to get away with it and in some case Investigators sent to look into the deaths were killed. Finally the Bureau of Investigation headed by the newly appointed Hoover, decided a federal investigation was required and a group of investigators was sent in undercover to infiltrate the towns on the reservation and a mastermind was brought to trail and jailed.

David Grann has done a huge amount of investigative research to uncover the stories of the Osage Indians and "the reign of terror" that resulted in the deaths of so many. Not only from the newspapers, library archives and police reports but also from direct contact with living relatives of those killed. Through his meticulous research, he also uncovered many clues that others were involved and never brought to justice. The book was also an interesting account of the events leading to the formation of the FBI and the early days of J.Edgar Hoover.