Leo T. reviewed Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI (Random House Large Print) on + 1775 more book reviews
I have not yet seen the book, but the author flogged it on Fresh Air (WHYY, 17 April 2017) and it sounded interesting. He has looked into police and newspaper files, and understands the era well. This was the first murder investigation undertaken by the FBI--the locals were too corrupt to carry it off and it had become a scandal. I was not familiar with the murders but have known since I was a kid about headrights and the resentment felt by locals when a rascally Indian could drive drunk, smash up his automobile, and buy a new Packard the next day. The McNary-Haugen bill never passed and I am sure there were many farmers and ranchers who didn't bring in more than $500 in cash in a year, given the decline in agriculture prices after WWI.
