Diamond Doris: The True Story of the World's Most Notorious Jewel Thief by Doris Payne

 
I've had Diamond Doris: The True Story of the World's Most Notorious Jewel Thief by Doris Payne in my 'to be read' pile since mid 2020, but finally chose to read this memoir as an early choice for black history month this year.

I enjoy reading nonfiction books and/or memoirs about jewelry, gemstones, jewelry heists, etc. So, deciding to read Diamond Doris: The True Story of the World's Most Notorious Jewel Thief by Doris Payne was a no brainer for me.

Prior to reading Diamond Doris: The True Story of the World's Most Notorious Jewel Thief, I'd never heard of Doris Payne before. Ms. Payne definitely lived a colorful life and an unconventional one at that for sure. I enjoyed reading how Doris Payne became a jewelry thief and her travels around the world stealing high end jewelry from the likes of Cartier and other well known high end jewelers. 

The writing for Diamond Doris: The True Story of the World's Most Notorious Jewel Thief by Doris Payne was mediocre. I think more details could have been added or embellished a bit more in certain areas. But overall, Diamond Doris: The True Story of the World's Most Notorious Jewel Thief by Doris Payne was a worthwhile read.

Below is a summary for Diamond Doris: The True Story of the World's Most Notorious Jewel Thief by Doris Payne from Goodreads:

Growing up during the Depression in the segregated coal town of Slab Fork, West Virginia, Doris Payne was told her dreams were unattainable for poor black girls like her. Surrounded by people who sought to limit her potential, Doris vowed to turn the tables after the owner of a jewelry store threw her out when a white customer arrived. Neither racism nor poverty would hold her back; she would get what she wanted and help her mother escape an abusive relationship.

Using her southern charm, quick wit, and fascination with magic as her tools, Payne began shoplifting small pieces of jewelry from local stores. Over the course of six decades, her talents grew with each heist. Becoming an expert world-class jewel thief, she daringly pulled off numerous diamond robberies and her Jewish boyfriend fenced the stolen gems to Hollywood celebrities.

Doris’s criminal exploits went unsolved well into the 1970s—partly because the stores did not want to admit that they were duped by a black woman. Eventually realizing Doris was using him, her boyfriend turned her in. She was arrested after stealing a diamond ring in Monte Carlo that was valued at more than half a million dollars. But even prison couldn’t contain this larger-than-life personality who cleverly used nuns as well as various ruses to help her break out. With her arrest in 2013 in San Diego, Doris’s fame skyrocketed when media coverage of her astonishing escapades exploded.

Today, at eighty-seven, Doris, as bold and vibrant as ever, lives in Atlanta, and is celebrated for her glamorous legacy. She sums up her adventurous career best: “It beat being a teacher or a maid.” A rip-roaringly fun and exciting story as captivating and audacious as Catch Me if You Can and Can You Ever Forgive Me?—Diamond Doris is the portrait of a captivating anti-hero who refused to be defined by the prejudices and mores of a hypocritical society.

I am giving Diamond Doris: The True Story of the World's Most Notorious Jewel Thief by Doris Payne a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!