Bayou Pages | “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI” by David Grann

REVIEW BY MEREDITH MCKINNIE

“History is a merciless judge. It lays bare our tragic blunders and foolish missteps and exposes our most intimate secrets, wielding the power of hindsight like an arrogant detective who seems to know the end of the mystery from the outset.”

Martin Scorsese’s 2023 film Killers of the Flower Moon, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert Deniro, received critical acclaim for its depiction of the Osage murders of the 1920s. The film was inspired by Grann’s novel published in 2017. Grann, a seasoned journalist, investigates the 12 Osage murders from 1920-1924. Initially ignored by local law enforcement, newly-crowned FBI Director Herbert Hoover sought out the case in his effort to overhaul the FBI, transforming the agents and the agency from their former lackluster reputation. Grann combs through that investigation by former Texas Ranger Tom White, but then goes even further, uncovering a bevy of tangential crimes against the Osage that show this stain on American history is far deeper than previously thought. 

  Historically, the Osage tribe was forced off its land with the Louisiana Purchase, originally relocated to Kansas, but then forced off the land by white settlers, and ultimately bought acres in Oklahoma, a region thought to be unfit for civilization. Essentially, the Osage chose land the white men wouldn’t want to avoid harassment. But in purchasing that land, a savvy attorney included oil, gas, and mineral rights, ensuring the Osage were entitled to anything extracted from the land. That proved to be a gold mine, with the Osage leasing the land for oil drilling and becoming the richest demographic in the United States. In an effort to curtail Osage wealth and influence, the federal government wrote laws requiring Osage benefactors to have white overseers for their financial accounts. Some sidestepped those laws by intermarrying with white people, and thus the setting for racism, greed and corruption swelled. 

Grann picks up his story with Mollie Burkhart, the one surviving daughter after her mother and sisters were killed by mysterious illness, suspected poisoning, and outright execution. Extravagantly wealthy and targeted by the systematic Osage murderers, Mollie fears for her safety and questions the intentions of her white husband Ernest Burkhart. Grann’s telling of the Osage murders and the aftermath is compelling, a page turner written in Grann’s signature journalistic style. Perhaps the most tragic and eye-opening portion of the nonfiction book is Grann’s personal investigation almost 100 years after the murders. Grann interviews survivors, their families, and personal and historical documents, nodding to the unknown magnitude and scope of the conspiracy. For American history and true crime lovers, Grann’s account of these tragic events and the rise of the FBI is gripping. 

“What is gone is treasured because it was what we once were. We gather our past and present into the depths of our being and face tomorrow. We are still Osage. We live and we reach old age for our forefathers.”