The Man Who Stole the Gods

The shocking true story of the prolific art smuggler who looted the cultural treasures of a war-torn nation—and the global network that connects criminals like him to billionaire collectors, glittering auction houses, and world-famous museums

“An epic tale of art, war, and crime.”—Stuart A. Reid, author of The Lumumba Plot

“An archaeological adventure to rival David Grann’s The Lost City of Z, and a riveting exposé of the plunder that still fills the world’s top art museums.”—Zeke Faux, author of Number Go Up

In the 1970s, amidst the chaos of Cambodia's brutal genocide, a new crime wave emerged—one that would sweep across borders and entangle the world's most prestigious art institutions for decades. Priceless treasures of the ancient Khmer Empire, the civilization that produced Angkor Wat, vanished from sacred temples, looted by smugglers and trafficked into the hands of elite collectors. At the center of it all was a man named Douglas Latchford.

Known later as "Dynamite Doug" for the ruthless methods used to extract statues from temple ruins, Latchford orchestrated one of history's most audacious cultural heists. From dusty Cambodian villages to the glittering auction houses of London and New York and institutions like the Met, he played a double game—presenting himself as an expert on Khmer art while secretly flooding the market with stolen antiquities.

In The Man Who Stole the Gods, award-winning journalist Matthew Campbell unravels the gripping story of Latchford's criminal enterprise, and a global conspiracy of greed and collusion—one that involves some of the world's most powerful museums and collectors.

A masterful blend of true crime, history, and investigative journalism, drawing on years of reporting and more than 100 interviews, The Man Who Stole the Gods is the definitive account of one man's greed, an industry's complicity, and the fight to expose the truth and restore stolen treasures to their rightful home.