Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
Summary
In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage 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. One of her relatives was shot. Another was poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more and more Osage were dying under mysterious circumstances, and many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered.
As the death toll rose, the newly created FBI took up the case, and the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including a Native American agent who infiltrated the region, and together with the Osage began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.
Book Setting: Oklahoma
Pawhuska
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church
Constantine Theater
Osage County Courthouse
Greyhorse Indian Village Cemetery in Osage County
Fairfax Hospital
Big Hill Trading Company
Leavenworth Penitentiary
La Tuna Fed Correctional Institute
Guthrie Jail
Oklahoma City
Kansas City
San Antonio
Quantico
Hominy
Weatherford
Ralston
Reviews
“A master of the detective form. . . . Killers is something rather deep and not easily forgotten.”
—Wall St. Journal
“Disturbing and riveting. . . . Grann has proved himself a master of spinning delicious, many-layered mysteries that also happen to be true. . . . It will sear your soul.”
—Dave Eggers, New York Times Book Review
“A marvel of detective-like research and narrative verve.”
—Financial Times