Book Club Guide

Killers of the Flower Moon

by David Grann · 2017 · True Crime

Key themes

The Osage murders and the systemic evil beneath them
The FBI's founding as rooted in the investigation of these crimes
American history's tendency to bury what is most uncomfortable

About this book

The murders of wealthy Osage people and the birth of the FBI; a riveting, important investigation.

Published in 2017, Killers of the Flower Moon became a major bestseller and eventually a Martin Scorsese film. Grann spent years researching the Osage murders and discovered that the extent of the killings was even larger than previously documented.

Discussion questions

The Osage became the richest people per capita in the world in the 1920s, then began to die. How does Grann show the relationship between their wealth and their destruction?
The murders were carried out by people who had married into Osage families and were trusted by them. How does Grann show this betrayal — and what does it say about the proximity of violence to those we love?
The book's structure shifts in its final section when Grann puts himself in the story as an investigative reporter. How does this shift work — and does the personal dimension add or distract?
The FBI, newly formed, used the Osage investigation to establish its methods. What does this origin story say about American law enforcement — and about what was considered worth investigating?
The book has since been adapted by Martin Scorsese. What does the book do that the film cannot — and vice versa?