The Man Who Stole the Gods

An adventure to rival David Grann’s 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

Immaculately researched and beautifully written, The Man Who Stole the Gods is a gripping real-life exposé of the ugly deals that underpin the trade in beautiful objects

Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland

An epic tale of art, war, and crime, The Man Who Stole the Gods unspools a sprawling conspiracy of tomb raiders, art dealers, and museum curators, with one elusive expatriate at the heart of it all. Campbell brings the story to life with brisk pacing, an instinct for drama, and a firm grasp of the moral and historical stakes

Stuart A. Reid, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of The Lumumba Plot

The Man Who Stole the Gods transcends reportage, marrying investigative rigour to the emotional force of great fiction. Propulsive and devastating, it traces a story of greed and violence that opens, finally, onto redemption, rendered with exceptional clarity and insight

Katie Engelhart, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Inevitable

Masterfully reported and beautifully told, The Man Who Stole the Gods is a piercing indictment of our unequal world. It reads like a thriller, starring elite curators, business moguls, despots and freedom fighters and one of the most fascinating anti-heroes in modern memory

Sheelah Kolhatkar, staff writer at The New Yorker and author of Black Edge

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.

Kirkus

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.

Publishers Weekly