Wed, 16 Oct 2024 15:27:41 GMT
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Wed, 16 Oct 2024 15:27:41 GMT
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Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.
Greed, depravity, and serial murder in 1920s Oklahoma.
During that time, enrolled members of the Osage Indian nation were among the wealthiest people per capita in the world. The rich oil fields beneath their reservation brought millions of dollars into the tribe annually, distributed to tribal members holding "headrights" that could not be bought or sold but only inherited. This vast wealth attracted the attention of unscrupulous whites who found ways to divert it to themselves by marrying Osage women or by having Osage declared legally incompetent so the whites could fleece them through the administration of their estates. For some, however, these deceptive tactics were not enough, and a plague of violent death—by shooting, poison, orchestrated automobile accident, and bombing—began to decimate the Osage in what they came to call the "Reign of Terror." Corrupt and incompetent law enforcement and judicial systems ensured that the perpetrators were never found or punished until the young J. Edgar Hoover saw cracking these cases as a means of burnishing the reputation of the newly professionalized FBI. Bestselling New Yorker staff writer Grann (The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession, 2010, etc.) follows Special Agent Tom White and his assistants as they track the killers of one extended Osage family through a closed local culture of greed, bigotry, and lies in pursuit of protection for the survivors and justice for the dead. But he doesn't stop there; relying almost entirely on primary and unpublished sources, the author goes on to expose a web of conspiracy and corruption that extended far wider than even the FBI ever suspected. This page-turner surges forward with the pacing of a true-crime thriller, elevated by Grann's crisp and evocative prose and enhanced by dozens of period photographs.
Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.
Chapter I
The first chapter of David Grann's book "Killers of the Flower Moon" introduces readers to the Osage Nation, a Native American tribe. The tribe lived peacefully in the 18th century until settlers began moving into the area. As their land was taken over, the Osage began to suffer from poverty, alcoholism, and disease. It is also revealed that the tribe had become wealthy due to oil discoveries beneath their land, and this newfound wealth attracted the attention of unscrupulous individuals who sought to exploit their newfound riches. One such individual was William K. Hale, an oil baron who began to use his power, money, and influence to cultivate hatred and violence against the Osage.
Chapter II
The second chapter of the book introduces us to Mollie Burkhart, an Osage woman who is married to Ernest Burkhart, the nephew of William K. Hale. The couple soon had three children, but Ernest was an alcoholic and was abusive to his wife. Mollie quickly came to realize something sinister was taking place within her community, as her friends and family keep dying one by one. She soon learns that the victims are all members of the Osage Nation, and she suspects that William K. Hale and his associates may be behind the string of mysterious deaths.
Chapter III
In the third chapter, the death of an Osage woman named Anna Brown is investigated. It is quickly revealed that Anna was poisoned with arsenic, and that her death was ruled a suicide without any proper investigation. This leads to a widespread belief that the Osage Nation has become the targets of a conspiracy and that the deaths are not natural. Mollie works together with her husband Ernest to investigate the series of deaths, and they soon come to find out that the murders are the work of a sinister group of people working together to steal the Osage's land and money.
Chapter IV
In the fourth chapter, Mollie and Ernest continue their investigation into the deaths of the Osage people. They enlist the help of local law enforcement, as well as the newly appointed chief of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They soon uncover an intricate network of “contract killers” working together to target members of the Osage Nation. The investigation leads to several arrests, and Mollie and Ernest’s work soon pay off when the group of suspected killers is brought to justice.
Chapter V
The fifth chapter of the book focuses on the aftermath of the investigation. Although the killers were brought to justice, the Osage victims were never able to obtain justice due to the rampant corruption in government offices. The Osage Nation was also left vulnerable to further exploitation due to the lack of protection from the law, and they suffered further injustices in the decades that followed. The concluding chapter of the book serves as a reminder of the atrocities that were committed against the Osage people and serves to spread awareness of the tragedy that occurred in the 1920s.
