Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI in Crazy Challenge Connection

Jan 15, 2018 Book Concierge rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, history, native-american, library, concierge, true-crime, oklahoma

Book on CD narrated by Will Patton, Ann Marie Lee and Danny Campbell.

From the book jacket: 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 poisone Book on CD narrated by Will Patton, Ann Marie Lee and Danny Campbell.

From the book jacket: 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 suspicious circumstances.

My reactions
Wow. I am ashamed to say that I knew nothing of this shameful episode of American history. Grann did a marvelous job researching and reporting his findings. He brings these people to life and makes the reader care about each and every one of them. He did more than simply report what the FBI managed to uncover, and that only emphasizes how institutionalized the racist attitudes were.

He begins with the disappearance of one woman, and slowly uncovers the evidence of a vast conspiracy to eliminate the Osage and steal their riches. It is nothing short of appalling. Local officials were, at best, ill equipped to investigate. They lacked the forensic training of modern-day police forces, and more importantly, they lacked the will to really DO anything about “a bunch of Indians.” As the FBI began investigating, they were faced with uncooperative local leaders, and conflicting stories. Key witnesses were killed, or otherwise “convinced” to change their stories. Evidence went missing. That they were able to bring anyone to trial was a testament to their tenacity and insistence on pursuing the perpetrators.

And yet …. As the last section of the book shows, even the FBI failed to fully comprehend the extent of the problem. I found this section the most distressing.

The audio book is very well done, using three narrators: Will Patton, Ann Marie Lee and Danny Campbell. They are talented voice artists and they keep the pace moving.
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Feb 11, 2020 Suzanne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries, history, non-fiction, true-crime, 1920s

Absolutely fascinating! I knew none of this.

4 likes · Like · see review

Jun 09, 2023 Nancy Brady rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: library-book, book-exchange-library-group-read

This nonfiction books lays out the atrocities (murders) of the Osage people. After being pushed out of their native territory, the Osage were given this dry land in Oklahoma. OIl was discovered and the Osage became wealthy. Suddenly, this terrible land wasn't so terrible and many white people descended upon the area and became their guardians (as if these adults were like little children). Some went so far as to poison them or shoot them point-blank. It was the Reign of Terror.

From this, the FBI ...more

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Apr 17, 2020 Charlotte (Buried in Books) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 27, 2019 LynnB rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: history, non-fiction, true-crime, 2019-reads

A horrific tale of a crime against Osage tribal members in Oklahoma. I had never heard of this incident full of greed, murder and corruption, but recommend the book highly to those interested in the history of the US and the Osage.

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Jan 08, 2023 Jessica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own-general-non-fic, z-read-in-2023

Really engaging read. A huge amount of research into a fascinating and apparently little known story of American - and Indigenous - history. The story is at times bonkers, at times unsurprising given the racism of this last vestige of the old West, but an interesting read throughout. He did a great job of humanizing the characters, and treating the story with sensitivity and respect, while managing to be a novel-esque page-turner at the same time!

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