In the 1920s\, the richest people per capi ta in the world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land\, the Osage rode in chauffeured aut omobiles\, built mansions\, and sent their children to study in Europe.
\nThen\, one by one\, they began to be killed off. One Osage woman\, M ollie Burkhart\, watched as her family was murdered. Her older sister was shot. Her mother was then slowly poisoned. And it was just the beginning\, as more Osage began to die under mysterious circumstances.
\nIn thi s last remnant of the Wild West&mdash\;where oilmen like J. P. Getty made their fortunes and where desperadoes such as Al Spencer\, &ldquo\;the Phan tom Terror\,&rdquo\; roamed &ndash\; virtually anyone who dared to investi gate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll surpassed mo re than twenty-four Osage\, the newly created F.B.I. took up the case\, in what became one of the organization&rsquo\;s first major homicide investi gations. But the bureau was then notoriously corrupt and initially bungled the case. Eventually the young director\, J. Edgar Hoover\, turned to a f ormer Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery. White pu t together an undercover team\, including one of the only Native American agents in the bureau. They infiltrated the region\, struggling to adopt th e latest modern techniques of detection. Together with the Osage they bega n to expose one of the most sinister conspiracies in American history.&nbs p\;
\nCheck out the book from the library.
\nThe Afternoon Book Club meets on the third Wednesday of each month from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM at the Burke Branch Library. All are welcome. For more information\, c all Caroline Pak at 703-746-1772 or email cpak@alexlibraryva.org.
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