As Long as They Get the Name Right She is Ahead of the Game

I’m kinda underwhelmed by the whole Kardashian thing.  During the week end she was apparently the victim of a home invasion robbery, in Paris. The thieves got away with millions in jewelry. kim-kardashian-lost-millions-Paris-robbery-policeThis theft is kind of an homage to the good old days.

Prior to the advent of a sophisticated banking system and instant communications. Jewelry was the American Express card of its time.  It was portable, had a relatively stable value, and could be traded or exchanged across cultures.  This was not always true of currency, especially paper currency. 

Graham Greene touches on the use of jewelry in financing one’s travels in the novel Travels With My Aunt  . Come to think of it, there may be more similarities with Greene’s Aunt Augusta and Kardashian. Aunt Augusta is an amoral, scheming, con artist, occasional prostitute and kept woman whenever she gets the chance. Course it has been along time since I read the book.

The combination of the “Grand Tour” of Europe and jewel thefts targeting the pigeons on the tour, may be the reason why the jewelry caper is so popular in European mystery stories. Somehow stealing a Mr. T starter kit from a pimp in Detroit doesn’t have the same allure.