Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann.
Everyone knows unsavory stories of how the US government slaughtered and forced Native Americans off their land and onto reservations. Today, we cringe at those stories and are now memorializing Native American leaders for their sacrifice and their efforts in trying to preserve their people's way of life. The names Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, Chief Joseph, and Geronimo are still very well known to almost everyone. For some, that's ancient history. But in 1921, while Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Douglas Fairbanks were in Hollywood making movies, the Osage in Kansas were being systematically murdered for their fortune. Killers of the Flower Moon talks about those murders and the layers of greed that influenced their cover-up.
A historical and accurate piece of non-fiction, Killers of the Flower Moon is also comprised of layers. David Grann unravels the mystery for us, one step at a time, and introduces each of the important aspects of the book in a way that makes it feel like a well constructed mystery novel.
The Victims
Mollie Burkhart serves as the vehicle for the first part of this story. Grann writes her so personally, so sympathetically, that we feel deeply for Mollie and dread anything that might happen to her and her family. Then her family begins to die mysteriously- some quietly, and some violently. Grann has us hooked by this time and the seeds of dread are already growing in the pit of our stomaches.
The Villains
It wouldn't be right for me to give this away, but I will say that the set-up for the section of the book is as well crafted as any thrilling "who-dunnit". We don't necessarily expect the villain (or villains) to be who they are, but once the identity (or identities) come to light, we already know that it's too late to matter. And we know that the Osage murders are part of a deeper and longer running conspiracy, and it scares us.
The Lawmen
Tom White, a Texas Ranger who J. Edgar Hoover knew to be unflappable and incorruptible, took the case. All around him, men were driven by their greed and bigotry. Even other lawmen would turn the other way, in certain instances, when there was enough money or other benefits in it for them. But not Tom White. His diligence uncovered the conspiracy and brought down some of the most powerful men in the country. Grann follows Tom White through his investigation and after, keeping us apprised of the Ranger turned FBI Agent's accomplishments, and giving us a hero to this intense but true crime drama.
David Grann has proven himself to be fantastic True Crime writer. He's got us on the edge of our seats, mouths hanging open, and holding our breaths all through this intense ongoing saga. Killers of the Flower Moon was partly written using newly discovered evidence. After all these years, even though several men were convicted of these crimes, the full scope of the crime has not yet been explored. There were too many cover-ups and too many "important" people involved for us to know all of the truth. Hopefully, David Grann's book will warm up this "cold case" and give the families of the victims some piece of mind.
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI is one of my favorite books right now. It's a "must have" for fans of American History, Native American History, True-Crime, or good old fashioned Mystery novels.
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
Author: David Grann
Publisher: Doubleday Books
ISBN: 9780385534246