Killers of the Flower Moon (Movie Tie-in Edition): The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI

#1 New York Times Bestseller, soon to be a major motion picture this October, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Brendan Fraser and Lily Gladstone and directed by Martin Scorsese. A twisting, haunting true-life murder mystery about one of the most monstrous crimes in American history

    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. One woman, Mollie Burkhart, watched as her family was murdered. Her older sister was shot. Her mother was slowly poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more Osage 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 such as Al Spencer, "the Phantom Terror," roamed--virtually all who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll surpassed more than twenty-four Osage, the newly created F. B. I. took up the case, in what became one of the organization's first major homicide investigations. But the bureau was then notoriously corrupt and initially bungled the case. Eventually 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 one of the only Native American agents in the bureau. The team infiltrated the region, struggling to adopt the latest modern techniques of detection. Together with the Osage they began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.     

    In Killers of the Flower Moon, David Grann revisits a shocking series of crimes in which dozens of people were murdered in cold blood. The book is a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, as each step in the investigation reveals a series of sinister secrets and reversals. But more than that, it is a searing indictment of the callousness and prejudice toward Native Americans that allowed the murderers to operate with impunity for so long. Killers of the Flower Moon is utterly riveting, but also emotionally devastating.

About the Author

DAVID GRANN is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers KILLERS OF THE  FLOWER MOON and THE LOST CITY OF Z. KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON was a finalist for The National Book Award. He is also the author of the collection THE DEVIL AND SHERLOCK HOLMES and THE WHITE DARKNESS. Grann has garnered several awards for his journalism including a George Polk Award.  He lives in Westchester County, New York.

Author Residence: Westchester County, New York