Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI

My suggestion: read just the first ~1/3 and then look up how the situation turned out. A bit overdramatic in places for me, but I learned about a lot of historical events I wasn't familiar with, in that first section. If someone is interested in learning about "the birth of the FBI," this probably wouldn't be the most satisfying option, either-- it's not really about that, the second section is more detailing the life and career of one particular agent (in the precursor to the FBI), including before and after these events.

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savvylit's review against another edition

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dark informative sad medium-paced

3.5

Killers of the Flower Moon is a thoroughly researched and disturbing glimpse into the grisly early 20th century conspiracy against the Osage Nation. The amount of greed and racial hatred among the non-indigenous residents of the Nation is astounding. And yet, at this point in my life, I find myself continuously unsurprised by portions of US history in which racist settlers commit genocide or hate crimes. Acknowledge it or not, that's the American legacy.

In writing Killers of the Flower Moon, David Grann has put together a damning and enlightening true crime book. I was both horrified and riveted by the connections that Grann slowly reveals between each murder. I still can't believe just how deep the conspiracy ultimately went! That being said, I found Grann's writing style to be a bit too dry for my taste. This book is heavy on the details in a way that makes it difficult to digest all at once -- at least, that's how it felt to me.

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chronicallyplotting's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad tense

4.0

A tragic true crime study of the Osage murder case. The tragic loss of many lives that were never fully brought to justice. Money the root of evil in this case and racial inequality and discrimination lead to this tragic trajectory of events. The outcry of these crimes and the fear that was created lead to the governments creation of the FBI.

I learned a lot from this true crime book and enjoyed learning about not only the history of the FBI but the Osage people and the presidential corruption that occurred during these tragedies. I recommend this book to any true crime fan.

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