6 Books Like Killers of the Flower Moon to Read Next

Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon brought one of the darkest chapters of American history to a much wider audience. Based on David Grann’s bestselling nonfiction book of the same name, the film explores the systematic murders of members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma during the 1920s.

After oil was discovered beneath Osage land, members of the Osage Nation became some of the wealthiest people per capita in the world. That extraordinary wealth, however, attracted outsiders who wanted control of their money and oil rights. What followed was a horrifying series of murders, schemes, and exploitation that became known as the Osage Reign of Terror.

For many viewers and readers, Killers of the Flower Moon revealed a piece of American history they had never encountered before. That is part of what makes David Grann’s book so powerful: it combines true crime, history, investigative journalism, and the experiences of people whose stories were ignored for decades.

If you finished Killers of the Flower Moon and want another nonfiction book filled with forgotten history, murder, injustice, or stories from America’s past, there are several excellent books worth reading next.

Here are six books like Killers of the Flower Moon that belong on your reading list.

6 Books Like Killers of the Flower Moon

• The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz-Age America by Karen Abbott
• Covered with Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America by Nicole Eustace
• The Chinatown War: Chinese Los Angeles and the Massacre of 1871 by Scott Zesch
• Built from the Fire: The Epic Story of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, America’s Black Wall Street by Victor Luckerson
• Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux by John G. Neihardt
• Hell’s Half-Acre: The Untold Story of the Benders, a Serial Killer Family on the American Frontier by Susan Jonusas

The Ghosts of Eden Park by Karen Abbott

If the combination of true crime and American history was what fascinated you most about Killers of the Flower Moon, Karen Abbott’s The Ghosts of Eden Park is an excellent place to start.

The book takes readers into Prohibition-era America and tells the story of George Remus, one of the most powerful bootleggers in the United States.

Remus built an enormous illegal alcohol empire during Prohibition and accumulated a fortune in the process. But his extraordinary rise eventually became intertwined with betrayal, corruption, obsession, and murder.

Abbott approaches the story with the pacing of a crime novel while still exploring the historical forces surrounding it. Readers get a look at organized crime, Prohibition, law enforcement, wealth, and the lengths people were willing to go to obtain power.

Like Killers of the Flower Moon, this is a story that can be difficult to believe even though it actually happened.

Read this if you liked: the true-crime investigation and 1920s setting of Killers of the Flower Moon.

Covered with Night by Nicole Eustace

Nicole Eustace’s Covered with Night takes readers much further back in American history while exploring many of the same larger questions about murder, justice, power, and Indigenous people.

The book examines the 1722 killing of an Indigenous hunter and the events that followed.

Instead of treating the case solely as a murder story, Eustace uses it to explore competing ideas about justice between Indigenous communities and European colonists.

That makes Covered with Night particularly interesting for readers who came away from Killers of the Flower Moon wanting to learn more about the relationship between Native American communities and the legal systems imposed around them.

It is an illuminating examination of how different societies understood crime, punishment, reconciliation, and justice.

The book also received the Pulitzer Prize for History, making it an especially compelling choice for readers interested in serious historical nonfiction.

Read this if you liked: the examination of Indigenous history and failures of the American justice system.

The Chinatown War by Scott Zesch

The Chinatown War by Scott Zesch examines the horrifying Chinese Massacre of 1871 in Los Angeles, an event that remains far less widely known than it should be.

The book explores racial tensions, violence, crime, and the growing Chinese community in nineteenth-century Los Angeles.

What makes this book a particularly strong companion to Killers of the Flower Moon is its focus on a historical tragedy that was largely pushed to the margins of mainstream American history.

Like the Osage murders, the events examined by Zesch force readers to reconsider the way American history is often taught and remembered.

The book also demonstrates how prejudice, greed, political power, and weak institutions can combine with devastating consequences.

Readers interested in discovering important historical events that they may never have encountered in school will find plenty to think about here.

Read this if you liked: discovering a disturbing but overlooked chapter of American history.

Built from the Fire by Victor Luckerson

Anyone interested in the Oklahoma history surrounding Killers of the Flower Moon should consider reading Victor Luckerson’s Built from the Fire.

The book tells the story of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, famously known as Black Wall Street.

Greenwood became one of the most successful Black communities in the United States before the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 devastated the neighborhood.

But Luckerson’s book is about more than the massacre itself.

It follows Greenwood across generations, showing how the community was built, destroyed, rebuilt, and repeatedly challenged by racism, government policy, urban development, and economic forces.

That broader perspective makes Built from the Fire particularly powerful.

Both this book and Killers of the Flower Moon examine prosperous communities in Oklahoma whose wealth attracted exploitation and violence. They also reveal how much American history remains unfamiliar to millions of readers.

Read this if you liked: the Oklahoma setting, hidden history, and examination of wealth, race, and systemic injustice.

Black Elk Speaks by John G. Neihardt

Black Elk Speaks is different from the other books on this list because it isn’t primarily a true-crime narrative.

Instead, it offers readers an important window into Native American history and culture through the story of Black Elk, an Oglala Lakota holy man.

The book recounts Black Elk’s life and experiences during a period of enormous upheaval for Native American communities.

Readers encounter events surrounding conflicts between Native peoples and the United States, the destruction of traditional ways of life, and the traumatic transformation of the American West.

For readers whose interest in Indigenous history grew after watching or reading Killers of the Flower Moon, Black Elk Speaks can provide additional historical perspective.

It has also become one of the most widely read books dealing with Native American spirituality and history.

The book should be approached with an understanding that Black Elk’s story comes to readers through John G. Neihardt’s interpretation and presentation, but it nevertheless remains an influential work.

Read this if you liked: learning more about Native American history and experiences beyond the Osage murders.

Hell’s Half-Acre by Susan Jonusas

If the true-crime elements of Killers of the Flower Moon kept you turning pages, Susan Jonusas’s Hell’s Half-Acreshould be high on your list.

The book tells the story of the Bender family, who operated an inn in Kansas during the nineteenth century and became associated with a series of mysterious disappearances and murders.

Their story eventually became one of the most notorious tales of crime on the American frontier.

Jonusas separates historical evidence from the mythology that accumulated around the Benders over the decades, creating a compelling account of murder, investigation, and frontier America.

Like David Grann, she takes an event from the past that almost sounds like fiction and reconstructs what happened through extensive historical research.

The result is a gripping combination of history and true crime.

Read this if you liked: the murder investigation and page-turning nonfiction style of Killers of the Flower Moon.

Why Readers Love Books Like Killers of the Flower Moon

One reason Killers of the Flower Moon has connected with so many readers is that it doesn’t fit neatly into a single genre.

It is history.

It is true crime.

It is investigative journalism.

And it is an examination of greed, racism, corruption, power, and a horrifying injustice that went largely overlooked outside the Osage Nation for generations.

The best books like Killers of the Flower Moon accomplish something similar. They introduce readers to real events while telling those stories with enough narrative momentum to feel almost like novels.

They can also change how you look at American history.

Many of the events covered by the books on this list aren’t discussed nearly as often as other major historical events, despite their importance. Reading about them can reveal just how many fascinating, disturbing, and essential stories remain buried in the past.

Which Book Should You Read First?

Choosing the best book depends on what you enjoyed most about Killers of the Flower Moon.

If you want another gripping true-crime story, start with The Ghosts of Eden Park or Hell’s Half-Acre.

If you are most interested in Indigenous history, try Covered with Night or Black Elk Speaks.

If discovering overlooked moments in American history was the biggest appeal, The Chinatown War is worth picking up.

And if you want to continue exploring the complicated history of Oklahoma, racism, wealth, and violence, Built from the Fire may be the strongest choice.

Of course, anyone who has only watched Scorsese’s movie should also consider reading David Grann’s original Killers of the Flower Moon. The book provides additional historical context and gives readers an even deeper understanding of the investigation and the Osage murders.

Conclusion

Killers of the Flower Moon introduced millions of people to a shocking chapter of American history, but unfortunately it is far from the only important story that has been overlooked.

These six books explore murder, injustice, racial violence, Indigenous history, crime, and forgotten moments from America’s past. Whether you want another historical true-crime investigation or simply enjoy nonfiction that teaches you something while keeping you hooked, there is something here worth adding to your reading list.

Start with the subject that interests you most and don’t be surprised if one of these books sends you searching for even more forgotten stories from history.

FAQ

What books are similar to Killers of the Flower Moon?

Some of the best books to read after Killers of the Flower Moon include The Ghosts of Eden Park by Karen Abbott, Covered with Night by Nicole Eustace, Built from the Fire by Victor Luckerson, and Hell’s Half-Acre by Susan Jonusas.

Is Killers of the Flower Moon based on a true story?

Yes. David Grann’s book examines the murders of members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma during the 1920s and the investigations surrounding the crimes.

What should I read if I liked the true-crime part of Killers of the Flower Moon?

The Ghosts of Eden Park and Hell’s Half-Acre are two especially good choices because both combine historical research with compelling murder and crime narratives.

What should I read to learn more about Native American history?

Readers interested in Indigenous history can consider Covered with Night by Nicole Eustace and Black Elk Speaks by John G. Neihardt, while also seeking works written by Indigenous historians and authors for additional perspectives.

Should I read Killers of the Flower Moon if I already watched the movie?

Yes. David Grann’s book provides considerably more historical detail and investigative context than can fit into a feature film, making it worthwhile even if you already know the basic story.

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