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

I read this book because my Mother-in-Law recommended it to me.  I almost literally couldn't put it down.

Summary:  After the Osage Nation was forcefully displaced to reservation land in Oklahoma, it was discovered that the land sat atop one of the largest oil fields in the continental United States.  Members of the Osage Nation listed on the tribal roll were granted headrights to revenues made from leasing the oil rights.  In the early 1900s, these headrights brought millions of dollars to members of the tribe.

Around the same time, members of the Osage Nation began to mysteriously die.  When the Burkhart family suffered loss after loss, a team of private investigators were hired to solve the crimes.  But they failed.  As more and more Osage began to die, the case caught the attention of new Bureau of Investigations director J. Edgar Hoover.  Coming off a big scandal and seeing the opportunity for good publicity, Hoover decided to send one of his "old school" agents to Pawhuska to investigate the murders.  Former Texas Ranger Tom White was given charge of the Oklahoma field office and charged with solving the case.

"Killers of the Flower Moon" is a true crime history that lays out the history of the Osage Nations great wealth, the governmental policies that made the Osage prey for greedy, horrible killers, the subsequent systematic murders of hundreds of people and the investigation that uncovred one of the worst times in American History,

I couldn't put it down.

Thoughts: It's hard to put my thoughts on this book into words, I think because there are just so many.  Please bear with me.

I have a bachelor of arts in History and am particularly fascinated by early American and Native American history, so I feel like choosing this book to read was a no brainer.  However, I think even a casual reader will enjoy "Killers of the Flower Moon".

"Killers of the Flower Moon" is broken into three parts.  Part one is a brief history of the Osage Nation from their displacement to Osage County, OK to the string of murders and disappearances that eventually caught national attention.  Part two focuses on Tom White, the investigator brought in to unravel the web of lies surrounding the systematic murder of Mollie Burkhardt's family.  Part three digs beyond the initial investigation to reveal something even more sickening than initially thought.

The book is well researched, with reams of noted original source material and footnotes. While the topic is gruesome and enraging, I feel like Grann did an excellent job letting the details unfold in a similar way that Tom White and team would have ferreted them out.  This makes the end of part 2 and all of part 3 that much more shocking and sickening.  It also makes the story a little hard to follow.  You have to think a bit when you read this book to make sure details, people and places can be kept straight.  It doesn't have the seamless flow of a fiction novel, which some will find hard to follow.

But enough about the structure of the book and the author's (excellent) telling of a forgotten part of American History.  Let's get to what will keep me up at night for weeks and what I feel like anyone who reads this book and has a heart or sense of compassion will feel:

I felt horror at the story of people of all ages exploited, tortured and killed for money.  I felt anger at the government for putting the Osage in a position that made them victims who could not seek help and had no avenue for self defense.  "Flower of the Killer Moon" goes into detail on how the government mandated the majority of adult Osage be declared as incompetent in order to force them into wardships so white men could manage their money. It detailed how many of those same guardians exploited their wards for money by charging extreme fees, mandating where money could be spent (such as at the guardian's stores, where prices were marked up 100%(  and even going so far as to deny health care in the hopes the ward would die and the guardian could then handle the estate.

I felt disgust and rage that something like this could even happen less than 100 years ago.  And then dismay that in 100 years not much has changed.  Even now I feel ill that the same things still happen and are ignored because the larger population isn't paying attention and those with power hide it too well.

The story of the Osage murders is absolutely horrific, but it's a story that must be told and must be heard.  Read it.  Then talk about it.

Reviewed by:  Tami

Author's Website:  https://www.davidgrann.com/

How to Find a Fox by Nilah Magruder

We found this book on display at our local library.  The cover was beautiful and the title sounded fun, so we picked it up.

"How to Find a Fox" by Nilah Magruder is a fun story about a girl who searches high and low for a fox to photograph.  The illustrations are wonderful - sharp, full of color, yet friendly for little readers.  The story and words are simple but fun, making it an easy choice for a bedtime read.

There are ample opportunities for discussion:   we looked for the fox on every page, talked about the forest and what we could find in one, and used the story as an opportunity to talk about trying our best and not being afraid to do hard things.

Definitely check this one out.

Year One by Nora Roberts

I'm a huge fan of both classic Nora Roberts titles and the J.D. Robb In Death series.  When I heard that NR was going to take her writing in a different direction along the lines of a romance/apocalypse/fantasy hybrid, I was intrigued.  Perhaps even giddy.

Summary: On New Years Eve, a man unwittingly unleashes a deadly plague when he bleeds upon an ancient circle of power.  The world's population is quickly decimated and life as its known rapidly breaks down.  But not everyone dies.  Many who survive find that they've unlocked magickal powers.  Some become seers, some witches and some fairies.  Called the Uncanny, the magickal folk come together to find and create safe spaces for themselves and the regular humans...because not everyone left is good.  The dark Uncanny use their powers for evil, the Raiders take pleasure in destruction and the Purity Warriors hunt anyone not like them.

"Year One" is the story of a group of survivors who must escape the city and find a way to live their lives in a dangerous new world.

The Good:  I think one of NR's best qualities as a writer is her ability to create a sense of place.  I haven't been to Scotland (which is a pity) or New York (I know...) but NR's writing makes it easy to believe I have.  I found the sense of places well thought out and beautifully described.  With her words I could imagine the Scottish farmhouse and picture a decimated New York City.


I also really enjoyed the first few chapters.  The beginning started off warm and safe but quickly escalated to all out panic as the plague took hold and began to spread.  Characters the reader had just met and liked were killed off to create a sense of panic (which worked for me) and new characters were introduced to allow the reader to transition from the chaos of mass death and the fall of civilization to the tenuous steps of remaking society.  Most of the characters were interesting and compelling.  I wanted to know how Arlys was going to get out of the city, absolutely had to follow Katie and the babies, and was intrigued by Max and Lana's growing powers.  As a reader it seemed inevitable that each little group would meet up, and I eagerly anticipated the encounters.  I also couldn't get enough of the rebuilding process.  I wanted to read about people learning new skills, living off grid and trying to form a better, more cooperative community.

The Meh:  There was so much world building, character introducing and stage setting that at times "Year One" felt choppy and less polished than I was expecting.  There was a lot going on and I felt the plot was lost in all the showing.

I also expected the book to be darker or more frightening that it was.  There were certainly dark and scary moments, such as Arlys' and Fred's trek through the PATH tunnel, but the scary moments weren't defining moments for the characters.  I wanted to see the characters brought to the very bottom of low and then find their inner strength and fight for good.  The world is ending people.  Let's hit rock bottom like a normal person.

Additionally, I felt that more foreshadowing could have been done in regards to the Dark Uncanny, the Raiders and the Purity Warriors.  They were presented as scary, but not scary enough.

Overall I felt there was much more good about this book than meh.  There were times I couldn't put it down and it kept my attention the entire time.  I'm very curious about books 2 and 3.  I look forward to seeing NR catch her stride and take us along on a great story.