Killers of the Flower Moon : the Osage murders and the birth of the FBI / David Grann.
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 mysterious circumstances. In this last remnant of the Wild West--where oilmen like J.P. Getty made their fortunes and where desperadoes like Al Spencer, the "Phantom Terror," roamed--many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll climbed to more than twenty-four, the FBI took up the case. It was one of the organization's first major homicide investigations and the bureau badly bungled the case. In desperation, the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including one of the only American Indian agents in the bureau. The agents infiltrated the region, struggling to adopt the latest techniques of detection. Together with the Osage they began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780385534246
- ISBN: 0385534248
- ISBN: 9780307742483
- ISBN: 0307742482
- ISBN: 9780385542487
- ISBN: 0385542488
- ISBN: 9781471183294
- Physical Description: x, 338 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York : Doubleday, [2017]
- Copyright: ©2017
Content descriptions
- General Note:
- Maps on endpapers.
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 299-336).
- Formatted Contents Note:
- Chronicle One: The marked woman : -- The vanishing -- An act of God or man? -- King of the Osage Hills -- Underground reservation -- The devil's disciples -- Million dollar elm -- This thing of darkness -- Chronicle Two: The evidence man : -- Department of easy virtue -- The undercover cowboys -- Eliminating the impossible -- The third man -- A wilderness of mirrors -- A hangman's son -- Dying words -- The hidden face -- For the betterment of the Bureau -- The quick-draw artist, the yegg, and the soup man -- The state of the game -- A traitor to his blood -- So help you God! -- The hot house -- Chronicle Three: The reporter : -- Ghostlands -- A case not closed -- Standing in two worlds -- The lost manuscript -- Blood cries out.
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Hale, Bill, 1874-1962.
United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation > Case studies.
Osage Indians > Crimes against > Case studies.
Murder > Oklahoma > Osage County > Case studies.
Homicide investigation > Oklahoma > Osage County > Case studies.
Conspiracy > Oklahoma > Osage County > Case studies.
Murder for hire > Oklahoma > Osage County > Case studies.
Osage County (Okla.) > History > 20th century. - Genre:
- True crime stories.
Case studies.
Available copies
- 189 of 223 copies available at NC Cardinal.
- 2 of 2 copies available at Madison County Public Library. (Show)
Holds
- 1 current hold with 223 total copies.
Other Formats and Editions
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Springs Library | 976.6 GRA (Text) | 30229101308996 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Madison Main Library | 976.600 GRA (Text) | 30229101065901 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Albemarle Main Library | 976.6 Gra (Text) | 31010000793168 | Storage | Available | - |
| Albemarle Main Library | 976.6 Gra (Text) | 31010000793176 | Storage | Available | - |
| Albemarle Main Library | 976.6 Gra (Text) | 31010000793184 | Storage | Available | - |
| Albemarle Main Library | 976.6 Gra (Text) | 31010000807349 | Adult Nonfiction | Checked out | 08/18/2026 |
| Albert Carlton - Cashiers Community Library | 976.6004 G (Text) | 39493108091796 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Alexander Main Library | 976.6004 Grann (HS BOB) (Text) | 34269001181727 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Alleghany Public Library | 976.6004 GRA (Text) | 30664100276838 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Anderson Creek Public Library | 976.6004 Gra (Text) | 33630005374751 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
Accessibility Features
Summary:
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 mysterious circumstances. In this last remnant of the Wild West--where oilmen like J.P. Getty made their fortunes and where desperadoes like Al Spencer, the "Phantom Terror," roamed--many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll climbed to more than twenty-four, the FBI took up the case. It was one of the organization's first major homicide investigations and the bureau badly bungled the case. In desperation, the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including one of the only American Indian agents in the bureau. The agents infiltrated the region, struggling to adopt the latest techniques of detection. Together with the Osage they began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.
