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This page lists books that feature the detective agency owner Bertha Cool and the private detective Donald Lam who works for the agency.

The Bigger They Come

A.A. Fair

1939

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"The killer was guilty without a shred of doubt. The police had him behind bars. The district attorney had plenty of evidence. But - no court in the state could convict him! The Bigger They Come features that fast-moving, skull-cracking team: Bertha Cool, a two-hundred pound 'lady' who uses the language of a longshoreman. And Donald Lam, a pint-sized process server who would have been in the morgue long ago except that he can think faster than the next man ... or woman."

Turn on the Heat

A.A. Fair

1940

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"Strange bedfellows can be political poison, and the candidate had picked himself a dilly. She was ruthless and corrupt and had enough on him to smear his shining armour with front page mud. Donald Lam and Bertha Cool told him not to worry. Women were Donald's speciality, the more dangerous the better. But when the lovely lady turned up dead, the case took an ugly twist. Suddenly Lam and Cool were in the middle of a red-hot race where bullets, not ballots, counted."

Gold Comes in Bricks

A.A. Fair

1940

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"How did Donald Lam get all the dames? He was just a brainy little guy, but he had the damnedest way with women ... The blondes melted like wax. "You're the first guy who's given me a break" said one. "Kiss me." Lam kissed her. "To hell with that stuff," she said. "Really kiss me." She was only the first - but even the busiest lady's man has to take time out for murder, especially when he's been too chummy with a corpse and the cops are out for blood ... his blood."

Spill the Jackpot!

A.A. Fair

1941

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"Bertha Cool has just been released from a sanitarium where she has been recovering from flu and pneumonia, but soon she and Donald Lam are on the hunt for a missing bride-to-be. They become tangled in case filled with slot-machine skullduggery, a double-crossing client, murder and a spot of financial finagling before they eventually achieve their goal."

Double or Quits

A.A. Fair

1941

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"Dr. Hilton Devarest was a whiz at curing patients, but his private life was sick, sick, sick. He lived with a wife who was as warped as she was repulsive, a secretary who enjoyed fun and games with the doctor every morning before breakfast, a niece who believed nice girls finished nowhere, and a nephew whose only means of support was making women happy. Donal Lam and Bertha Cool got involved with the not-so-good doctor when he hired them to find some stolen jewels. But soon they were in the fight of their lives against a killer who thought murder was the best medicine, and was out to treat them to an overdose of death."

Owls Don't Blink

A.A. Fair

1942

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"Roberta Fenn was every man's dream - a clinging climber with photogenic features and a phenomenal body. She had what it took to get what she wanted, and she wanted a lot. But one thing she wasn't looking for was an early grave, and that was where she was heading - unless the redoubtable Bertha Cool and the inimitable Donald Lam jumped in, guessed right, and moved fast to save this bedevilled dream girl from a nightmare of blackmail, double cross and murder."

Bats Fly at Dusk

A.A. Fair

1942

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"A cool girl hunt is what the blind man wanted. He was searching for a pretty young woman, soft spoken and slender, whom he'd never seen but knew had vanished, and he was willing to pay Bertha Cool anything to find her. The whole thing seemed impossible and sounded suspicious, but the man's money was right - even if his motives weren't - and given the choice Bertha always followed the dollar sign. Only this time, the dollar sign pointed to murder and fingered Bertha Cool as a red hot suspect."

Cats Prowl at Night

A.A. Fair

1943

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"It was just a routine case. All Bertha Cool had to do was help a fellow in a jam - a $20,000 jam. But it didn't stay a routine case for long. All of a sudden Bertha's client had a fistful of anonymous letters, a missing wife, and a body in his basement. Bertha Cool had her hands full. The only problem was, her hands were tied - and the murderer's were very, very busy."

Give 'em the Ax

A.A. Fair

1944

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"The Rimley Rendezous was a back-street bistro where a tired businessman could drop in for a pick-up, no questions asked. The cover charge was steep, Blackmail was the major part of the tab. It was a lucrative business—until a murderer cut into the profits...and left his weapon in Donald Lam’s car."

Crows Can't Count

A.A. Fair

1946

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"Shirley was sultry, sexy, smashing - a sweet young thing to make a sugar daddy’s mouth water. This luscious lass loved pretty baubles, so no wonder men showered her with jewels. But when a deluge of emeralds turned into a reign of terror, Shirley needed someone to bail her out. That brought Bertha Cool and Donald Lam into the act, as the indomitable detective duo discovered that emeralds could be a girl’s worst enemy when they carried a price tag of murder."

Fools Die on Friday

A.A. Fair

1947

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"Death gave its warning in the form of a luscious brunette. She walked into the office of Donald Lam and Bertha Cool, calmly announced that her employer was about to be killed, and paid them a healthy fee to keep the boss alive. For Cool this case meant cold cash. For Lam it meant warm curves. But before long it meant murder."

Bedrooms Have Windows

A.A. Fair

1949

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"It started as a routine tail - shadowing an oily hustler who'd been courting a well-healed matron. But the assignment soon led Donald Lam to a sleazy hotel room with a sexy barfly. And now she's left him high and dry with a pair of corpses dumped in his lap. Suddenly he's the cops' prime suspect. And it'll take some fancy footwork to sidestep the law - and the real killer, who intends to leave Bertha Cool partnerless."

Top of the Heap

A.A. Fair

1952

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"When the beautiful girlfriend of a notorious gangster vanishes, the last man to be seen with her needs an alibi - and fast. Enter Donald Lam of the Cool & Lam detective agency. But his client's story doesn't add up, and soon Lam's uncovered a mining scam, an illegal casino, and a double homicide... And a chance for an enterprising private eye to make a small fortune - if he can just stay alive long enough to cash in on it!"

Some Women Won't Wait

A.A. Fair

1953

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"Mira Woodford was a beautiful girl who believed that the best things in life were expensive. She bartered her youthful charms for the rewards of being an old man's bride, and her investment paid off in millions when she suddenly became his widow. When Bertha Cool sent Donald Lam to find out if Mira's kisses had turned to poison for the rich little poor girl's late husband, one look at Mira made Donald eager to see for himself how deadly her embrace really was. But though Mira was lovely and willing, her past was ugly and threatening - and when passion and blackmail went hand in hand, murder could not be far behind."

Beware the Curves

A.A. Fair

1956

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"John Dittmar Ansel walked into the Cool-Lam office and asked them to trace a man named Karl, who, six years before, gave him an idea for a story. Donald Lam - always the suspicious one - immediately smelled a rat. And his nose had not betrayed him: investigation proved that Mr Ansel wasn't a writer at all; and Karl had died by a bullet. Bertha Cool and Donald Lam decided that this was a case worth pursuing, and before long they found they were not the only ones with a vested interest in the six-year-old mystery."

You Can Die Laughing

A.A. Fair

1957

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"A beautiful heiress is missing, and a husband, but not her husband, is looking for her. Texan Lawton Corning is determined to find Yvonne Wells, and hires Bertha Cool and Donald Lam to track her down. She has had a spat with her husband, and the neighbours tell Donald Lam what they heard the night Mrs Wells went missing. But then she turns up again, and the mystery deepens."

Some Slips Don't Show

A.A. Fair

1957

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"One morning Barclay Fisher awakes in the apartment of a beautiful woman. He is threatened with blackmail - and he is pretty sure his wife will never understand. Hence his pitiful appeal to Bertha Cool and Donald Lam. Bertha smells money, and Donald heads for San Francisco. There he has quite a time with the glamorous 'other woman', a disconcerting and hilarious encounter with modern art, and a very nasty turn when he finds the body."

The Count of Nine

A.A. Fair

1958

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"You might call Bertha Cool the broad beam of the Cool and Lam Detective Agency. As this story begins, all 200-odd pounds of her are quivering happily at the thought of a fat fee to come. All Bertha has to do is guard the priceless treasures of wealthy explorer Dean Crockett II, who is about to throw a fabulous party. But somebody's hand is quicker even than Bertha's gimlet eye, and one valuable jade Buddha and a primitive blowgun disappear. That's when brainy bantam-weight Donald Lam steps in, and the pace sets off fiercely, before reaching a sensational, unexpected climax."

Pass the Gravy

A.A. Fair

1959

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"Daphne Beckley comes to Donald Lam to find out what really happened to her husband. He has disappeared and his life insurance contains a double indemnity clause in the event of an accident, meaning Daphne is in line for a windfall. However, if he is still alive, she wants a divorce and alimony. It is up to Donald Lam to discover if she is the jilted wife of a philandering husband, or a beautiful, very wealthy widow."

Kept Women Can't Quit

A.A. Fair

1960

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"Donald Lam arrives at work one day to find an outraged police sergeant Frank Sellers stewing in the office of his senior partner, Bertha Cool. Sellers is close to cracking an armoured car robbery case, but in the course of his investigation, a telephone number for the Cool-Lam detective agency was found on one of his primary suspects - one Hazel Downer. The same Hazel Downer employs Donald Lam to find her husband who has run off with another broad, taking her fifty thousand dollars with him. Wasn't it fifty thousand dollars that haven't been recovered from the armoured car job ... ?"

Bachelors Get Lonely

A.A. Fair

1961

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"Two incidents involving a Peeping Tom are reported from the Swim and Tan Motel to the detective agency belonging to Donald Lam and Bertha Cool. Bertha, meanwhile, has warned Donald to steer clear of the dangerous jobs and stick to aiding solid, sane citizens like Montrose L. Carson. And all Carson wants is the name of the informer in his office who is passing on confidential material to a business rival, Herbert Dowling. But when Dowling is murdered at the Swim and Tan Motel, it looks as though Bertha has picked the wrong client, and Donald the right girl when he chooses a lively bait to catch the Peeping Tom ... and the murderer."

Shills Can't Cash Chips

A.A. Fair

1961

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"Money in the bank had always been a persuasive factor in Bertha Cool's life - and Lamont Hawley represented a lot of it. He also represented an insurance company that smelled a rat about a traffic-accident claim. The trouble was the claimant had drifted away - a beautiful blonde who had been co-operative and level-headed. In fact, too level-headed ... she sounded almost professional. Donald Lam didn't like it. Why should a large insurance company need an outside investigator? But Bertha's eyes see $$$ so Donald gets cracking, and within no time he is the prime suspect. For what on earth is a body doing in the trunk of Donald's car?"

Try Anything Once

A.A. Fair

1962

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"Carleton Allen, son-in-law of a millionaire tycoon and nervous of publicity, explains to Bertha Cool and Donald Lam that he's mixed up in a first-class scandal. He's spent the night with a blonde while his wife was away, and that same night at the motel a man was murdered. Donald doesn't believe the story, but the large retaining fee is too great a temptation to Bertha. So, once again, the intrepid partnership is off on a dangerous mission involving blackmail - and murder."

Fish or Cut Bait

A.A. Fair

1963

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"Pauline began to give me double-talk and let her housecoat slip open. Finally she dimpled at me and said, 'Donald, I'm sorry I put on the act I did. But, well, you're a man and I like men'. That's when Bertha got out of her chair and went up to Pauline. 'You're a tart and you like money. In about fifteen minutes you're going to be talking to the cops. So start telling the truth.' And with that Bertha threw her half across the room. 'Come on, dearie,' Bertha said, 'get rough. I just love to have the party get rough.'."

Up for Grabs

A.A. Fair

1964

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"Bertha Cool was in a flap. The distinguished Mr Homer Breckinridge had been waiting twenty minutes for Donald Lam to make an appearance, and around Mr Breckinridge was the heady aroma of C-A-S-H. Then Donald appeared and in no time found himself hired to investigate an insurance claim. 'Such nice, safe, respectable work', purred Bertha, 'and it's up for grabs.' But it didn't take Donald long to find out he was anything but safe and that he was the one up for grabs."

Cut Thin to Win

A.A. Fair

1965

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"Clayton Dawson came to Lam & Cool as a last resort. He needed an under-cover agent to 'protect the family name'. Bertha Cool didn't want to take the case, but Donald Lam talked her into it when their client laid twelve one-hundred-dollar bulls on the table. What seemed a simple case of protecting an undisciplined daughter soon erupted into an explosion of trouble for Lam - trouble in the form of murder and blackmail."

Widows Wear Weeds

Erle Stanley Gardner writing as A.A. Fair

1966

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"Blackmail was a dirty business and Donald Lam liked to stay clear of it. But for his partner, Bertha Cool, no business was too dirty to handle at the right price. And the price for this job was certainly right. What was wrong, though, was a payoff for pictures that weren't worth a dime, a free dinner that cost the blackmailer his life, and more than a couple of double-crosses that framed Donald Lam quite neatly for a charge of murder."

Traps Need Fresh Bait

A.A. Fair

1967

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"Bertha Cool was purring like a kitten. A client had just hired the agency to investigate a suspected insurance swindle and, in Bertha's glittering eyes, that was just the sort of respectable case they needed. Donald Lam had his doubts but he began looking around for suitable bait to set the trap. What he didn't know was that the trap was already baIted - and more than ready to spring."

All Grass isn't Green

Erle Stanley Gardner writing as A.A. Fair

1970

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Subsequently published as by Erle Stanley Gardner.

"A rich man sends Donald Lam looking for a man - when he really wants to find a woman. A minor missing persons case turns out to be a major one. And a pleasure boat on pontoons serves as a smuggler's ship on wheels. This is a job for detectives who know their fact from fiction, and Bertha Cool and Donald Lam are pitted against people who know too well that all grass isn't green."

The Knife Slipped

Erle Stanley Gardner writing as A.A. Fair

2016

A Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel. Written in 1939 (?) and intended to be the second book in the series. Not published at that time.

"At the time of his death, Erle Stanley Gardner was the best-selling American author of the 20th century, creator of crusading attorney Perry Mason and the hardboiled detective team of Cool and Lam, stars of 29 novels, and one that’s never been published until now. Lost for more than 75 years, THE KNIFE SLIPPED is a glorious return to the heyday of private eyes and shady dames, of powerful criminals, crooked cops, blazing dialogue, and delicious plot twists."

Pass The Gravy / Kept Women Can't Quit

Erle Stanley Gardner / A.A. Fair

1960

An omnibus edition that brings together two Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novels, Pass The Gravy and Kept Women Can't Quit.

Shills Can't Cash Chips / Bedrooms Have Windows

Erle Stanley Gardner / A.A. Fair

1961

An omnibus edition that brings together two Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novels, Shills Can't Cash Chips and Bedrooms Have Windows.

Bachelors Get Lonely / Some Slips Don't Show

Erle Stanley Gardner / A.A. Fair

1961

An omnibus edition that brings together two Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novels, Bachelors Get Lonely and Some Slips Don't Show.

The Case of the Mischievous Doll / Shills Can't Cash Chips

Erle Stanley Gardner / A.A. Fair

1963

An omnibus edition that brings together a Perry Mason novel, The Case of the Mischievous Doll, with a Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel, Shills Can't Cash Chips.

The Case of the Stepdaughter's Secret / Try Anything Once

Erle Stanley Gardner / A.A. Fair

1963

An omnibus edition that brings together a Perry Mason novel, The Case of the Stepdaughter's Secret, with a Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel, Try Anything Once.

The Case Of The Amorous Aunt / Fish Or Cut Bait

Erle Stanley Gardner / A.A. Fair

1963

An omnibus edition that brings together a Perry Mason novel, The Case Of The Amorous Aunt, with a Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel, Fish Or Cut Bait.

The Case of the Horrified Heirs / Up For Grabs

Erle Stanley Gardner / A.A. Fair

1964

An omnibus edition that brings together a Perry Mason novel, The Case of the Horrified Heirs, with a Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel, Up For Grabs.

The Case of the Daring Divorcee / Fish or Cut Bait

Erle Stanley Gardner / A.A. Fair

1964

An omnibus edition that brings together a Perry Mason novel, The Case of the Daring Divorcee, with a Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel, Fish or Cut Bait.

The Case of the Phantom Fortune / Fish or Cut Bait

Erle Stanley Gardner / A.A. Fair

1964

An omnibus edition that brings together a Perry Mason novel, The Case of the Phantom Fortune, with a Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel, Fish or Cut Bait.

The Case Of The Troubled Trustee / Cut Thin To Win

Erle Stanley Gardner / A.A. Fair

1965

An omnibus edition that brings together a Perry Mason novel, The Case Of The Troubled Trustee, with a Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel, Cut Thin To Win.

The Case of the Beautiful Beggar / Up for Grabs

Erle Stanley Gardner / A.A. Fair

1965

An omnibus edition that brings together a Perry Mason novel, The Case of the Beautiful Beggar, with a Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel, Up for Grabs.

The Case of the Worried Waitress / Widows Wear Weeds

Erle Stanley Gardner / A.A. Fair

1966

An omnibus edition that brings together a Perry Mason novel, The Case of the Worried Waitress, with a Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel, Widows Wear Weeds.

The Case of the Queenly Contentant / Traps Need Fresh Bait

Erle Stanley Gardner / A.A. Fair

1967

An omnibus edition that brings together a Perry Mason novel, The Case of the Queenly Contentant, with a Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel, Traps Need Fresh Bait.

The Case of the Careless Cupid / Traps Need Fresh Bait

Erle Stanley Gardner / A.A. Fair

1968

An omnibus edition that brings together a Perry Mason novel, The Case of the Careless Cupid, with a Bertha Cool and Donald Lam novel, Traps Need Fresh Bait.