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

Writing this review is hard, because as riveting as this book is, it is also incredibly heartbreaking when you remember this is based on real events, real people, and the heartbreak that must have been felt is something you would not wish on anyone. There are still so many unanswered questions, which is heartbreaking for those that are left behind trying to understand what happened to their loved ones. Family members who must deal with what friends and family did, or attempted to do, all for money. Greed can be blamed for the motive, but it is scary to think what kind of soul would not think twice about methodically murdering friends and family for headrights. The book focuses on one family, however the author points out that the murdering started before this family and continued after the murder trials for these crimes. It is a fascinating read about how politics were impacted at the local, state, and federal level in an effort to conceal what was happening with the tribe. In school a person might learn some of what happened to the Native American tribes in the early 1900s, but this book looks at specifics and how many people took advantage of the system to hurt the tribe in every possible way. 

The book is a recommended read, and the author did an amazing job telling this heartbreaking story in a way that makes the book hard to put down. Sadly, there are still so many unanswered questions for those left behind.