Diamond Doris

"Doris Payne is an unapologetic badass." - Tessa Thompson, Actress



This is the sensational and compelling memoir of the world's most notorious jewel thief - a woman who defied society's prejudices and norms to carve her own path, and live out her dreams.

She stole diamonds from the people who underestimated her, she exploited the men who tried to domesticate her, and she consistently defied society's assumptions and prejudices to create a new life for herself. For fans of Catch Me If You Can, The Wolf of Wall Street and Molly's Game, this is the newest must-read crime autobiography.

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 and neither racism nor poverty would hold her back.

Using her southern charm, quick wit, and light fingers as her tools, Payne began shoplifting small pieces of jewellery 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 whilst her boyfriend fenced the stolen gems to Hollywood celebrities.

A rip-roaringly fun and exciting story as captivating and audacious as Ocean's 8 and as honest and compelling as Hidden Figures - Diamond Doris is the portrait of a captivating anti-hero who refused to be defined by the prejudices and mores of a hypocritical society.