incredible story

quite an incredible and sad story. the writer clearly did his research and that makes the book interesting especially in its third and final part. however, in my opinion the story could have been told and written better. it is a matter of taste, but it is written as a journalistic account more than as a novel. also the part on the FBI and the birth of the FBI are not really relevant to the story and not really interesting either.

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11 people found this helpful

Who Knew !!

Saw this title on an Audible daily deal so gave it a try and am I glad I did. Murder,greed,deceit and corruption, this has it all and more, and of course the shock that it's all true. A little known piece of history brilliantly brought to life in this masterfully researched and narrated tale. Recommended

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2 people found this helpful

Wow

Compelling story gripped from beginning to end what wonderful storytelling. If there’s one book and one book only, you hear this year, make it this one.

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2 people found this helpful

A True Real Crime Drama

A real scorcher - Kept me totally absorbed for the entire story. Can't wait to see the film.

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1 person found this helpful

An interesting story not well told

I am not sure if the book failed to please me because it was poorly written or poorly narrated.

The prose style is very heavy and not easy to follow. Requires heavy concentration. The use of three narrators does not work for me. Two were ponderous and one ok. When I read a book I don’t have three “voices” in my head so I find it detracts from the pleasure.

The story is an interesting one and needs telling.

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15 people found this helpful

Avoid this audiobook edition: the narration is poor

I listened to this audiobook because I enjoyed the film and a few podcasts about the film and wanted to learn more about the material in the book that wasn’t included in the film. It’s hard to judge this book on its own because I found the audiobook narration - particularly by Ann Marie Lee and Will Patton - so poor. It actually put me off reading the book for a week or two because I found it so hard-going. It’s not that they are inaudible; it’s because I found their voices annoying and over actorly - as if they were narrating a cheesy documentary in a folksy provincial American museum. Argh! It felt so at odds with what I imagined to be the voice of the author.

The book is in three parts and (unusually for an audiobook) there is a different narrator for each part. Ann Marie Lee narrates the first part, mostly from the perspective of Mollie Burkhart, about the murders of Osage people by money-grabbing white settlers in order to get their headrights and oil money. This is the part of the book that most closely informs the plot of the film.

The second part, narrated by Will Patton, tells the story of Tom White, the detective from the Bureau of Investigation (which later became the FBI), who investigated the killings. This is the character played by Jessie Plemons in the film. This part was more interesting because it was barely covered in the film.

The final part, narrated by Danny Campbell, is told from the perspective of the author, David Grann, as he researches the history of the murders and digs around in the National Archives to uncover material that suggests it wasn’t just William Hale and Ernest Burkhart who were responsible for the murders; it was a much wider phenomenon that started as early as 1918 and involved many more white people in the community who profited from the disposession of the Osage people.

Now that I understand the background more fully, it makes me want to rewatch the film. If you’re interested in reading this book, I strongly recommend avoiding this audiobook edition. My 3-star rating is more for the audiobook; for the book by itself, I would have given 4 stars.

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1 person found this helpful

An amazing and terrible true story

This tell the awful depths and the great highs of human nature when money a huge amount of money is involved

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A sad story

This account of murderous greed is harrowing listening but should be told to a wider audience. Lessons need to be learned from this.

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Fascinating

Stranger than fiction. Brilliant investigation into a dark period of American history. I really enjoyed this book.

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Gripping true crime

Gripping historical crime set in America and the injustices inflicted upon the native Osage Indians. Great research n brilliant narration .Great photos in book

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