From the killing fields of Cambodia to the gilded halls of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, a story of stolen treasures and a battle to reclaim the soul of a nation.
Amid the chaos of Cambodia's brutal genocide, a new crime wave has emerged, sweeping across borders and affecting the world's most prestigious arts institutions. Priceless treasures from the ancient Khmer Empire, the civilization that gave birth to Angkor Wat, have disappeared from their sacred temples, looted by smugglers, and placed in the hands of elite collectors. And at the heart of it all, was a manHis name is Douglas Latchford.
Later known as "Dynamite Doug" for his brutal methods of extracting statues from temple ruins, Latchford orchestrated one of the most daring antiquities thefts in history.
From remote Cambodian villages to glamorous auction houses in London and New York and institutions like the Metropolitan Museum, he played a double game — presenting himself as an expert on Khmer art while secretly flooding the market with stolen antiques.In The Man Who Stole the Gods, award-winning journalist Matthew Campbell uncovers the thrilling story of Latchford's criminal enterprise, a global conspiracy of greed and collusion - a conspiracy involving some of the world's most powerful museums and collectors.A masterful blend of true crime, history, and investigative journalism, The Man Who Stole the Gods is the definitive account of one man's greed, the complicity of an entire industry, and the struggle to uncover the truth and return stolen treasures to their rightful home.
