Two of the best books I’ve read this year will haunt me for a long time:

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

“History, is a merciless judge.” This riveting work of narrative nonfiction by the author of The Lost City of Z reads like a masterful detective novel, and if you are unfamiliar with the history, you will be stunned by the investigation’s conclusion. The book details the horrific murders of dozens of Osage, and several investigators who were shot, poisoned and bombed over a period of 4 years in the early 1920s that became known as the Osage Reign of Terror, and weaves in the history, cover-up, and investigation into a conspiracy that would shape the future of the FBI.

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jessmyn Ward

Part family saga, part road novel, and part ghost story, Sing, Unburied, Sing is powerful and scary, beautifully written, and utterly un-put-downable. The scars of the past haunt Leonie and her family as they head out on the road to retrieve her husband, Michael, from prison. The climax in the family home left me breathless and I had to re-read the final chapter before I could let go and bring the book back. Lyrical and unrelenting, you hear about “page turners”–this is one of them–another win for Jessmyn Ward. Move this to the top of your to-be-read pile.