Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

I came away from this one seeing the forest more than the trees. The overall story is interesting, but I wasn't really interested in the details along the way. At the end of the day, I'm glad I read the book, because this seems like an important story in terms of American history. But I often found my mind wandering while going through it.

Did you know that the Osage Native Americans in Oklahoma were among the (if not THE) richest people in the world in the early 1900's? The Osage were assigned land by the U.S. Government that later was found to be rich in oil. In response to this, the United States passed a law that anyone with 50% or more Osage ancestry had to be assigned a guardian (code for a white man) who was appointed by the court and basically in charge of their finances.

This legal racism and exploitation, problematic on its own, also bred all kinds of illegal activity - murders, kickbacks, bribes, corruption, conspiracy. And in the 1920's begin what is known as the Reign of Terror for the Osage, when dozens were murdered for their oil headrights.

The book is told in three parts, the first part focusing on the Osage themselves, then moving to the FBI investigation, and finally ending with additional research and theories that David Grann unearthed. This might be one of those books where the movie is more interesting than the book, but you if really want to get facts and details about the actual events, then the book is key. While I'm not going to insist that the book is superior (and it very well might be, as I have yet to see the movie) I'd suggest one or the other, as the story itself is one that should be heard.

Here's an article from PBS (written by David Grann) about the Osage murders, it has some great pictures. Now that I'm thinking about it, these very well might have been in the book, but I did the audiobook so...

If you're interested in the upcoming movie, directed by Martin Scorsese, here is the trailer.

Whoever Fights Monsters by Robert K. Ressler & Tom Shachtman

Criminal profiling is a hot topic with maybe the most unglamorous of foundations. Built on the commission of violent sexual homicides and the insights gained from the study of such offenders, the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (formerly the Behavioral Science Unit) was formed nearly 40 years ago.

Robert Ressler is an FBI agent who studied these crimes and criminals and was instrumental in the formation of the BSU, which has inspired countless TV shows and movies like The Profiler, Mindhunter, Criminal Minds, The Silence of the Lambs, The Prodigal Son...and the list goes on.

Ressler gives history on the unit, which includes the creation of VICAP and the NCAVC. The NCAVC, or National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime is a department of the FBI that aids law enforcement agencies in the prevention, understanding, and investigation of violent crime. VICAP, or the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, is a national database available to law enforcement to log and query information about violent crimes. These are resources available to law enforcement that didn't exist when Ressler was first involved in the FBI. Ressler details his career and how these programs were created in part through his work and efforts.

Ressler's career with the FBI was in the 1970s and 1980s. Little was known about serial killers or serial sexual homicide. Ressler was good enough at his job that he could ask forgiveness rather than permission and accomplish things that would likely get him fired today. This includes backdating memos and interviewing serial killers in prison without official authorization. 

But his efforts paid off. By interviewing offenders like Jeffrey Dahmer, Charlie Manson, and Ed Kemper, Ressler was able to gain insight into what made them, and people like them, tick. His expertise allowed him involvement in aiding numerous cases with his spot on profiles and he was a consultant for various projects, notably with Thomas Harris, author of The Silence of the Lambs. 

Ressler lived in a different time than we are in now, but the BAU endures today. I wonder how it has evolved over the decades and if the analysis of serial killers is as relevant as it is today or if other types of killers, like terrorists and school shooters, have come into prominence in the unit's study. But there's no denying the groundwork Ressler laid and the sheer fascination this book provides in his tales of serial killers from this time.