Killers of the Flower Moon
Oil, Money, Murder and the Birth of the FBI
by David Grann
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Pub Date May 01 2017 | Archive Date Mar 01 2017
Simon & Schuster (Australia) | Simon & Schuster UK
Description
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN NON-FICTION
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ?CWA ALCS GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION
‘A riveting true story of greed, serial murder and racial injustice’ JON KRAKAUER
‘A fiercely entertaining mystery story and a wrenching exploration of evil’ KATE ATKINSON
‘A fascinating account of a tragic and forgotten chapter in the history of the American West’ JOHN GRISHAM
From the bestselling author of The Lost City of Z, now a major film starring Charlie Hunnam, Sienna Miller and Robert Pattison, comes a true-life murder story which became one of the FBI’s first major homicide investigations.
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. As the death toll climbed, the FBI took up the case. But the bureau badly bungled the investigation. In desperation, its young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to unravel the mystery. Together with the Osage he and his undercover team began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.
‘David Grann has a razor-keen instinct for suspense’ LOUISE ERDRICH
Advance Praise
'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 these shocking murders almost a hundred years ago.'
John Grisham
'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, author of Into Thin Air and Missoula
'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, author of LaRose and The Round House
'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, author of Dead Wake and Devil in the White City
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781471140266 |
| PRICE | A$32.99 (AUD) |
| PAGES | 352 |
Featured Reviews
Carolyn S, Reviewer
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.
