The original book of the film "Flower Killing Moon"
Selected as a 'Best Book of the Year' by the largest American media outlet

The hit novel “Flower Moon” has been published.
This is the original book for the film Flower Killing Moon, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone.
A city in the American South in the 1920s, where 'black gold' oil was gushing out.
Wealthy Indians, who had the highest per capita income in the world, were murdered over the years.
But even as dozens of people die, the investigation remains stagnant.
Can a city ruled by anxiety and fear find justice?

This book was ranked #1 overall in Amazon's "Book of the Year" (2017) and set a record for being selected as the "Best Book of the Year" (non-fiction) by the most media outlets.
It has been a bestseller in the United States for several years.
The three elements of solid storytelling, meticulous research, and a weighty sense of theme came together to capture both popularity and artistic value.
It was also a finalist for the National Book Award.

People on page 11 couldn't take their eyes off the Osage's wealth.
The Osage were very different from the image of American Indians that had been established from the time they first encountered white people and suffered atrocities (from this original sin America was born).
Journalists tantalized readers with stories about the "Osage tycoon" and the "red millionaires," their brick and terracotta mansions, chandeliers, diamond rings, fur coats, and chauffeured cars.

The boy said, pointing to the stream where moss was growing on pages 23-24.
“There’s a dead person.” The corpse, which appeared to be an Indian woman, was bloated and rotting.
(…) Rita's husband Bill came forward and opened the corpse's mouth with a stick.
I saw teeth filled with gold.
“It’s definitely Anna,” said Bill.

Page 67 The Osage believed that many clans descended from the moon and stars.
Molly became a traveler in the fog.
The forces of the night surrounded her, but she could only hear them and not see them.
The sound of coyotes chattering, wolves howling, and the shrieking hoots of owls, said to be possessed by evil spirits.

The oil, which was scattered like large black wings, drawing arcs in the air on page 79, looked like an angel of death.
Oil settled layer by layer on the fields and flowers, leaving stains on the faces of the workers and onlookers.
Still, people were happy, hugging each other and throwing their hats into the air.
Big Heart, who died shortly after the land division was implemented, was praised as “the Moses of the Osage.”
This black, slippery, smelly mineral seemed to be the most beautiful thing in the world.


“It’s a mysterious phone call,” wrote Detective 10 on pages 88-89.
He suspected that Ralston's phone number was actually acting as a 'blockade'.
There was talk that some operators had taken bribes and destroyed the original records revealing the identity of the person who had initially requested the call.
In other words, it seemed as if someone was trying to erase their traces.

The case, which the Washington Post described as “one of the most brutal in this city’s criminal history,” seemed to be more than just a murder.
It was clear that the criminal was trying to convey some kind of warning.
The Washington Post ran a headline expressing the growing suspicion.
“It seems there is a conspiracy to kill the rich Indians.”

Page 136 The people with the highest per capita income in the world were also the most murdered in the world.
The press later described these murders as "as dark and vile as any murder this century" and "the bloodiest pages in American criminal history."

Page 149 Tom White hated shooting guns so much that he almost seemed like a nerd.
So he was proud of the fact that he had not killed anyone.
He seemed to be afraid of his own dark inner instincts.
In his view, the line separating good people from bad people was very thin.

To solve the Osage murders and preserve Hoover's head, one of the few experienced agents was needed: White, one of the cowboys.
“I would like you to take charge of the investigation,” Hoover said.

Page 189: There were spies and double agents within the investigation team.
There was even a possibility that there might be a triple threat.

Page 218 White realized that the so-called Indian business was an elaborate crime.
Various sectors of society were complicit in this.
The con artists' guardians and administrators were usually drawn from the white elite, including businessmen, ranchers, lawyers, and politicians.
The same goes for the sheriffs, prosecutors, and judges who helped and covered up their theft.


With each murder, it became clear that more and more of the equity stakes were in the hands of one person: Molly Burkhart.


Pages 250-251 With his bow tie on and his chin held high, he looked like the embodiment of the criminals the White brothers and his father had spent their lives chasing and capturing.
He seemed to think “the whole world was his.”


Page 314 For Hoover, the Osage murder investigation was a prime example of a modern investigative agency.
As he hoped, the case demonstrated to many that a professional, scientific, nationwide investigative body was needed.


Page 345 “We don’t easily talk about what happened in the Age of Terror,” she explained.
“Because there are so many Osage people who have lost their mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, cousins.
“That pain never goes away.”

Page 410 “This land is full of blood,” Webb said.
Then there was silence for a moment.
The oak leaves continued to rustle in the wind.
After Cain killed Abel, the web repeated what God said to Cain.
“Blood cries out from the ground.”

--- From the text