Killers of the Flower Moon
The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
by David Grann, Luis Murillo Fort · first published 2017
71% recommend29% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Narrative nonfiction about the 1920s Osage murders and the early FBI. It is a gripping, well-researched read that suits anyone who wants true crime or history told like a novel.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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. The family of an Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, became a prime target. One of her relatives was shot. Another was poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more and more Osage were dying under mysterious circumstances, and many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves mu
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Life on Air by David Attenborough is one of my favorites - it's narrated by the man himself. Any books by David Grann are great to listen to but I particularly enjoyed Killers of the Flower Moon and Lost City of Z.
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite audiobooks?” ↗Killers of the Flower Moon has a young Hoover in its cast of characters, and it does a pretty good job of describing his rise. It's also a fantastic book in its own right, which should be read before the incoming movie spoils it…
on “FBI improperly used 702 surveillance powers on US senator” ↗…changed by nonfiction, though. Incidentally, most/all of what you wrote above can be done as effectively with nonfiction. Books like When Broken Glass Floats by Chanrithy Him are extremely powerful. As was Killers of the Flower Moon. I doubt any works of fiction dealing with the same topics would be more powerful. Both of these books could have been written (and read) as fiction, but knowing the events were true makes a huge difference…
on “Show HN: Books mentioned on Hacker News in 2025” ↗Just got done reading The Wager - historical nonfiction - same author as Killers of the Flower Moon. It's quite good - not as good as Killers of the Flower Moon. I won't spoil anything you won't learn from the first few pages. The Wager was a British naval ship in the early 1700s that was lost to inclement…
on “Ask HN: What are you reading?” ↗…saw some beautiful raven with pink ribbon on it's leg. Thanks to the book I know now it was one of the oldest and smartest raven in the Tower - Merlina. Likes this book a lot, quite interesting read. * Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29496076-killers-of-the-... First white people stole their land and moved them to some shitty place in…
on “Ask HN: What is the best book you read in 2020?” ↗…Sophistical Refutations - Aristotle. Like anything by Aristotle, read it with a grain of salt and as historical document. Still, it's always a wonder how a text like this can be over 2000 years old. * Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI - David Grann. Skip the movie and read this instead. * 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus - Charles Mann. It challenges common misunderstandings…
on “Books I Loved Reading in 2024” ↗FYI, this is a long excerpt (prologue and first chapter) from a nonfiction book y the author of "Killers of the Flower Moon" and "Lost City of Z," David Grann. Fascinating. Built on a firsthand account by Lord Byron's grandfather? Everyone writing nautical and adventure fiction in the era would have been aware of this, though…
on “A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder” ↗The new movie you're thinking of is based on Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
on “Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?” ↗