June 17, 2026
The Man Who Stole the Gods is a CrimeReads Best True Crime Book of the Month
“Romance scammers, art smugglers, extraordinary survival, wrongful imprisonment, and more.”
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June 17, 2026
The Man Who Stole the Gods Featured By CNN
Whether found in a respected museum or a billionaire’s mansion, it is likely that any given Khmer sculpture in the West was, at some point, ripped from an ancient temple complex and trafficked out of Cambodia. There is also a reasonable chance it passed through the hands of a British man called Douglas Latchford.
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June 16, 2026
Matthew Campbell Essay in The Free Press on the Economics of Art Theft
“There are undoubtedly some private collectors who don’t particularly care about the origins of the objects they desire—or who believe, perversely, that they’re saving artworks that might otherwise be destroyed. There are also sophisticated networks of thieves, forgers, brokers, restorers, and dealers who continue to find creative ways to move illicit pieces.”
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June 15, 2026
The Man Who Stole the Gods Featured by The Diplomat
“What’s really shocking about this business model is that it didn’t come to an end in the 1970s. The Cambodian civil war only ended in 1998…long after everyone involved, and certainly the Western buyers who snapped up whatever came out of Cambodia were supposed to have known better.”
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June 11, 2026
The Man Who Stole the Gods Reviewed by The Economist
"Fascinating...'The Man Who Stole the Gods' reads like a thriller...the story romps along with dogged lawyers and a ludicrous, devious antagonist."
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June 10, 2026
Matthew Campbell Essay on Artnet on Law Enforcement and Looted Antiquities
“That so many works continue to be stolen tells us two things. First, that these networks remain vibrant, and second, that enough buyers exist to make their operations profitable.”
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June 10, 2026
The Man Who Stole the Gods Reviewed by The Financial Times
“Extraordinary...The incredible story of Latchford’s life and crimes alone would make The Man Who Stole The Gods well worth reading, but its author, the journalist Matthew Campbell, positions his wrongdoing within a much wider context...It’s greatly reassuring that the arc of this fascinating and scrupulously researched story bends finally towards justice.”
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June 10, 2026
The Man Who Stole the Gods Reviewed by The Asian Review of Books
“A cross between a well-reported exposé and...a page-turning true-crime procedural. There are shady art dealers, greedy museum curators, Khmer Rouge guerillas, American tycoons turned art collectors, indefatigable Feds, honest lawyers, Thai body-builders: everything needed for a multi-episode TV docudrama."
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June 10, 2026
The Man Who Stole the Gods is an Amazon Best Book of 2026 So Far
For those who loved The Art Thief, or any page-turning history of true crime, Matthew Campbell’s latest should be on your radar.
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June 5, 2026
The Man Who Stole the Gods Reviewed by The New York Times
“Shocking...a race against time.”
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June 3, 2026
The Man Who Stole the Gods Featured by The Irish News
“Exhilarating…Campbell’s narrative is as unnerving as it is engrossing…unfolds like a global detective novel.”
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June 2, 2026
The Man Who Stole the Gods Excerpt in CrimeReads
Toek Tik’s work was a kind best done by night. As an adolescent in rural northwest Cambodia, he had been a foot soldier in a military force whose very name was a byword for terror: the Khmer Rouge…Now, twenty years later, hardened by the long internal conflict that followed, Toek Tik was a leader of men.
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June 1, 2026
The Man Who Stole the Gods Reviewed by Literary Review
“Behind every great art deal is a great crime…In his day job, Campbell covers business news for Bloomberg, and it shows. He is persistent, convincing and polished.”
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May 29, 2026
The Man Who Stole the Gods Featured in Bloomberg ‘On Books’ Newsletter
“Angkor is considered by many to be one of the wonders of the world. But for British businessman Douglas Latchford, it was a business opportunity. Taking advantage of decades of civil strife… Latchford created a pipeline of stolen goods that began with midnight temple raids and ended on the silk-lined walls of the world’s wealthiest museums and collectors.”
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May 28, 2026
The Man Who Stole the Gods Reviewed by Hyperallergic
“Campbell’s sensitivity toward the irreversible loss caused by these thefts is what distinguishes this book from much of the other reporting surrounding ‘Dynamite Doug,’ as Latchford is often called. Campbell’s description of the physical violence of looting is particularly empathetic.”
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May 22, 2026
The Man Who Stole the Gods is an Amazon Most Anticipated Book
“A fascinating, page-turning story of an art heist where the pilfered works are still on view today at some of the most storied institutions in the world.”
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May 22, 2026
The Man Who Stole the Gods Excerpt in Bloomberg Businessweek
“Bradley Gordon was sitting in his office one day in June 2012 when he read the words that would change the course of his life: “‘American and European galleries, auction houses and museums are allegedly full of Cambodian plunder.’”
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April 13, 2026
The Man Who Stole the Gods Starred by Publishers Weekly
“Riveting…Painstakingly researched and paced like a thriller, this sweeping, cinematic account weaves together true crime and Asian history to shine a light on a little-explored art world scandal. It’s a breathtaking ride.”
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April 6, 2026
The Man Who Stole the Gods Reviewed by Kirkus
“Disturbing…in a fast-paced narrative, Campbell expertly handles a complex story of art theft, violent history, implicated cultural institutions, and law enforcers in Cambodia and the U.S. struggling to repatriate looted treasures. After reading the book, you may never again look at ancient artworks in quite the same way. Thought-provoking true crime on a grand scale.”
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December 6, 2022
Dead in the Water is an Economist Best Book of 2022!
“Books about merchant shipping are rarely so gripping, but this one looks at what really happened when pirates attacked the Brillante Virtuoso in the Gulf of Aden in 2011. A startling tale of fraud and impunity.”
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November 26, 2022
Dead in the Water Selected as a Sunday Times Book of the Year
“The cliché goes that there are no rules at sea; although that’s technically true, this powerful book gives weight to it as a view…Dead in the Water has the feel of a thriller, but also laudably explains the complexity—and corruption—of the world of international shipping.”
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September 22, 2022
Dead in the Water Shortlisted for Financial Times Business Book of the Year!
Winners to be announced in London on Dec. 5.
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June 10, 2022
Dead in the Water Reviewed by The Globe and Mail
“Matthew Campbell and Kit Chellel expose the shipping industry’s seething, lawless underbelly – or hull – in strange and spectacular fashion...a jaw-dropping story.”
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May 15, 2022
Dead in the Water Reviewed by The Wall Street Journal
“In gripping style…[Campbell and Chellel] not only explain an esoteric corner of the world economy but relish the juicy contrasts between the Latin-quoting English barristers and the thuggish ship salvagers, between the squeamish insurance men and the resolute ex-coppers."
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May 7, 2022
The Economist Reviews Dead in the Water
“Dead in the Water tells a startling tale of fraud and impunity at sea…exposes the dark, barnacle-encrusted goings-on beneath the shipping industry’s waterline…gripping.”
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May 6, 2022
Essay on Dead in the Water in The New Republic
“Dead in the Water is an expertly constructed crime thriller—the sort of work of narrative nonfiction that seems destined for a film adaptation. It is also an unexpected case study in the way that fraud has permeated the global economy, undermining democratic governance by both feeding off and facilitating government corruption.”
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April 30, 2022
Dead in the Water Reviewed by The New York Times
“A rich story of fake piracy and a global conspiracy so complex, and involving so much money, that it seems to inhabit a different quantum level…a masterpiece of explanatory journalism.”
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April 28, 2022
Dead in the Water Reviewed by Financial Times
“Dead in the Water is a triumphant example of what happens when editors give reporters the time to pull at such a story’s threads until the deceptions unravel.”
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April 14, 2022
Dead in the Water Excerpt Published in Bloomberg Businessweek
After the hijacking of the Brillante Virtuoso in 2011, the shipping industry was rife with questions and rumors. In this excerpt, a pair of London private investigators squeeze a source who claims to know the truth.
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