Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann details a series of murders of Osage tribal members in Oklahoma during the 1920s. These killings were part of a conspiracy to seize the oil wealth of Osage members. The Osage Nation had become incredibly wealthy due to oil deposits discovered on their reservation, with each member holding valuable "headrights" to oil royalties.

This wealth attracted criminals, including William K. Hale, who orchestrated the murders of Osage family members to inherit their headrights. The Osage murders became one of the first major homicide investigations for the U.S. Bureau of Investigation, the precursor to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The book highlights the corruption and prejudice faced by the Osage and the eventual, though incomplete, pursuit of justice.1