Killers of the Flower Moon 

By David Grann

338 pages

Originally published April 18, 2017

It was my book club’s November’s selection. I’m grateful to the committee for recommending it because it’s about an historical incident I would have otherwise known nothing about.

Killers of the Flower Moon is an account of a series of murders that occurred in Osage Country, Oklahoma, in the early 1920s. Those murdered were members of the Osage Indian tribe, who lived on a stretch of land where large oil deposits were discovered. As such, they inherited “head rights” to the oil, which, in total, came to many millions of dollars. Enough to allow them to quit working and live luxuriously on their royalties.

What happened was a very different story. A shockingly heartless plot to separate the Osage people from their money by any and every means possible.

What I Liked About It 

David Grann did a great job of recounting the story in a way that made me feel as if I were following an investigation in real time. And, at the same time, including enough factual detail to make me feel like I was getting a fair and responsible account of the truth.

What I Didn’t Like 

The first chapter. For some reason, it had me worried that I was going to get a romanticized and politically correct bowdlerization of the facts. But as I moved on through the book, I came to the opposite view – that, considering the astonishing evil of so many of the facts, Grann’s account was well and properly restrained.

Critical Reception 

Killers of the Flower Moon got rave reviews from many critics and good reviews from everyone else. A few examples:

* “Disturbing and riveting…. Grann has proved himself a master of spinning delicious, many-layered mysteries that also happen to be true.” (Dave Eggars, New York Times Book Review)

* “Contained within Grann’s mesmerizing storytelling lies something more than a brisk, satisfying read.” (The Boston Globe)

* “A marvel of detective-like research and narrative verve.” (Financial Times)