Thieves of Baghdad

One Marine's Passion for Ancient Civilizations and the Journey to Recover the World's Greatest Stolen Treasures

By: Matthew Bogdanos

Narrated by: Matthew Bogdanos

One Marine's Passion for Ancient Civilizations and the Journey to Recover the World's Greatest Stolen Treasures.

A blend of treasure hunt, police procedural, war-time thriller, and exposé of the international black-market in stolen art, told in the voice of a truly remarkable man: a soldier, a father, and a scholar.

The New York tabloids call him ‘the pit bull' for his relentless prosecution of high-profile defendants. He's an assistant D.A., a spit-and-polish Marine, a trigger-puller on counter-terrorist missions to Afghanistan, a competitive boxer—and a dedicated classics scholar. So when Matthew Bogdanos discovered that the Iraq National Museum had been looted during the battle of Baghdad, he immediately embarked on a mission to recover the stolen antiquities. Accompanied by a select group of men, Bogdanos set off across the desert without official sanction, risking his career and his life in pursuit of this priceless international treasure.

THIEVES OF BAGHDAD immerses the listener into the rich culture, the colorful characters, the double-dealing, and the derring-do, to sort out once and for all what actually happened during the chaos of the Baghdad invasion, exactly how the thefts took place, and how the most notable objects were retrieved. We hear Bogdanos and his team going on raids and negotiating recoveries, blowing open safes, and mingling in the marketplaces—often encountering an assortment of rogues and villains. He gradually earns the trust of Iraqis eager to preserve their cultural heritage—and then stuns the world by unearthing the most sensational treasure of all, The Gold of Nimrud over 1,000 pieces of gold jewelry, precious stones, and ornaments often called "Iraq's Crown Jewels."

©2005 Matthew Bogdanos; (P)2005 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Critic reviews

"Bogdanos is a remarkable blend of warrior, academic and communicator, and he cuts through politics and hyperbole to tell an engrossing story abundant with history, colored by stories of brave Iraqis and Americans, and shaded with hope for the future. " - <i>Publishers Weekly</i>

Very Interesting!

Really held my interest. Informative. Learnerd a lot through listening. I enjoy having new experiences through books, and this definitely fit the bill.

Truly revealing

This book is a must for anyone who wants a full account of what happened at the Iraq museum in 2003. Author as narrator is down to earth and easy to take.

This tale will spark pride in the actions of our marines.

Part detective story, part war story, and part Indiana Jones. This book sheds light on one of the least remembered, but most noble actions of our fighting men and women during the Iraq war. Such incredibly honorable deeds, told through a lens of humility and duty. You will not be disappointed.

Excellent Insights

A quick paced, interesting book with a number of twists and turns. The book provides some different insights to Operation Iraqi Freedom, while generally ignoring the rest of the war, the focus of the book reads like a good mystery.

Good story, but not very well told

First, I think the narrator was a poor choice. Not that he's a bad narrator, but not right for this work.
Second, I think the author is a bit self-indulgent and builds himself up too much.
But that said, the story is told with broad brush strokes and too little background. More detail and more history would have made a better book.