I was very interested in the Osage murders, but the author kept wandering off to give a lot of unnecessary detail. The last section really made a point about how the law was an accessory to the murder of American Indians, and I think the book would have had more impact if that were the thread of the whole book instead of bringing Hoover in.

Fascinating look at one of the many horrific times in the US history. We have so much blood on our hands, as white people. Guardians of Native Americans' money? REALLY?

Though this story is horrible, haunting, and deserving to be told, the book itself wasn’t all that inspiring. It was no doubt very well researched, but with how terrible the crimes were, I expected to feel more from the writing. Instead, it felt like I was reading a textbook with a bunch of unnecessary details. I feel like more could have been done to elicit the feelings that would appropriately go along with a story like this and the many many details I slogged through should have been condensed.

Finally got back into a mind frame to pick up and finish this one. It's such a sad, shameful tale that I just couldn't bring myself to tackle it in early summer. In many ways it's just simply unbelievable that this is part of our country's history - I lost count of the number of times I had to remind myself that this was indeed not a work of fiction, but rather a thorough accounting of tragedy for many.

The content of this book is heartbreaking and infuriating. Another exceptionally sad account of Native Americans that seems to be forgotten. The Osage people deserved better and the actions of the US government at the time of these murders is embarrassing. This book is exceptionally well written and easy to follow. I listened to the audiobook and I was very engaged through the entire thing. Hopefully this horrible part of US history becomes more well known because of this book and the movie that will soon be coming. I can only hope that the adaptation does justice and doesn’t overplay a white savior.

[audio]

This was a book club pick.
I honestly didn’t want to read it, which is a bit odd because I liked ‘The Lost City of Z’ when I read it years ago. I think my reluctance is due to my overall disinterest in murder mysteries especially when they are real. (I know, is so popular, I think I might be broken)

The truth is, I am still listening to the last hour presently, at 2x speed. Which, after listening to so many audiobooks, I can surprisingly still follow. But the fact that I am writing this review while it’s still playing shows how much I am paying attention.

The book is fine. I think this book will be a far better movie. I might even go as far as to say this book was written to become a movie. Grann’s ‘The Lost City of Z’ was made into a movie. This book was obviously made into a movie and I heard whispers that Grann’s newest book ‘The Wager’ is also being adapted for the theaters.

I am looking forward to watching this movie but the book was extremely boring for me. Sorry! I know that’s not popular and slightly crazy due to all the murders and explosions.

** The first narrator was, in my opinion, oozing, lyrical and hideous. The second narrator, Will Patton, is always a pleasure to listen to and I feel a bit guilty for having it sped up to 2x during his performance but the story is dragging for me.

Nonfiction that reads like fiction is a major weakness of mine. I learned about this book when I was in my true crime podcast era a couple years ago, but I didn’t feel compelled to read about the genesis of the FBI. Even so, all that took me to pick this up was a few tweets by Brandon Taylor and the movie teaser trailer. I had expected a glorification of the police state, but Grann instead points out the systemic abuses of power that underscored the Bureau’s beginnings. And still, the care taken in telling the Burkharts’ story felt to be Grann’s top priority. In an age of ubiquitously careless true crime narratives, this book is a stand-out powerhouse.

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“In May, when coyotes howl beneath an unnervingly large moon, taller plants, such as spiderworts and black-eyed Susans, begin to creep over the tinier blooms, stealing their light and water. The necks of the smaller flowers break and their petals flutter away, and before long they are buried underground. This is why the Osage Indians refer to May as the time of the flower-killing moon.”

“History is a merciless judge. It lays bare our tragic blunders and foolish missteps and exposes our most intimate secrets, wielding the power of hindsight like an arrogant detective who seems to know the end of the mystery from the outset.”