How to Read the Donald Lam & Bertha Cool Series
If you are planning to step into the snappy, suspense-filled world of Donald Lam and Bertha Cool, you have two primary reading paths. Fortunately, the novels are self-contained mysteries, meaning you will not get lost if you pick up a book out of order. However, the true joy of the series lies in the evolution of their odd-couple partnership. Watching Donald grow from a desperate, underpaid employee into a full partner who constantly outmaneuvers his boss makes a structured reading approach highly rewarding.
The Chronological Reading Path (Recommended)
For the most satisfying character development, we recommend inserting the "lost" second novel, The Knife Slipped, right after the debut book. This aligns the series with the order in which the books were actually written, allowing you to experience the characters as Erle Stanley Gardner originally intended. Here is the recommended chronological sequence:
- The Bigger They Come (1939)
- The Knife Slipped (Written 1939; Published 2016)
- Turn on the Heat (1940)
- Gold Comes in Bricks (1940)
- Spill the Jackpot (1941)
- Double or Quits (1941)
- Owls Don't Blink (1942)
- Bats Fly at Dusk (1942)
- Cats Prowl at Night (1943)
- Give 'em the Ax (1944)
- Crows Can't Count (1946)
- Fools Die on Friday (1947)
- Bedrooms Have Windows (1949)
- Top of the Heap (1952)
- Some Women Won't Wait (1953)
- Beware the Curves (1956)
- You Can Die Laughing (1957)
- Some Slips Don't Show (1957)
- The Count of 9 (1958)
- Pass the Gravy (1959)
- Kept Women Can't Quit (1960)
- Bachelors Get Lonely (1961)
- Shills Can't Cash Chips (1961)
- Try Anything Once (1962)
- Fish or Cut Bait (1963)
- Up for Grabs (1964)
- Cut Thin to Win (1965)
- Widows Wear Weeds (1966)
- Traps Need Fresh Bait (1967)
- All Grass Isn't Green (1970)
The Publication Order Path
If you prefer to read the series exactly as historical fans did, you can follow the publication order. In this case, you will read the first 29 books in their original release order (from 1939's The Bigger They Come through 1970's All Grass Isn't Green) and save the posthumously released The Knife Slipped (2016) for the very end. While this is a common route, be prepared for a sudden jump back in time when you finally open the 2016 release, as it returns to the agency's earliest days.
The Curious Case of "The Knife Slipped"
The history of the Cool and Lam series is incomplete without explaining the unique position of The Knife Slipped. Written immediately after the massive success of the debut novel The Bigger They Come in 1939, this was meant to be the second entry in the series. However, Gardner's publisher, William Morrow and Company, rejected the manuscript. They felt that Bertha Cool was far too coarse, her language too vulgar, and her character too unapologetically greedy to appeal to contemporary readers.
Disappointed but undeterred, Gardner shelved the manuscript and wrote Turn on the Heat (1940) instead, presenting a slightly toned-down version of Bertha. The rejected manuscript sat forgotten in the publisher's archives for over 75 years until it was rediscovered and published by Hard Case Crime in 2016. Today, it is highly valued by fans for showing Bertha Cool at her rawest, most cynical, and most entertaining.
Meet the Partners: A Study in Contrasts
What sets this series apart from other hardboiled detective fiction of the mid-20th century is its brilliant, character-driven humor. Rather than a solitary, stoic investigator, we are treated to a hilarious and cynical partnership:
- Bertha Cool: A tough, older widow who runs the B. Cool Confidential Investigations agency in Los Angeles. She is unashamedly greedy, penny-pinching, and has a mouth like a sailor. Famous for her colorful catchphrases like "Fry me for an oyster!" or "Can me for a sardine!", Bertha is a force of nature who starts the series weighing over 200 pounds (though her weight decreases in later novels). She handles the business, bullies clients, and is always looking for the easiest way to make a quick buck.
- Donald Lam: A 29-year-old former lawyer who is hired by Bertha in the first novel when he is completely destitute. Standing at just 5'6" and weighing 130 pounds, Donald is physically unassuming and frequently gets beaten up by thugs. However, what he lacks in brawn, he makes up for in pure intellect. Disbarred after revealing a legal loophole that could allow someone to get away with the "perfect murder," Donald uses his sharp legal mind to twist the law, outsmart criminals, and solve complex cases.
Evolution of the Series: Tone and Eras
As you progress through the books, you will notice distinct changes in tone. The early books (from 1939 through 1944) are heavily influenced by the Great Depression and World War II. They feature a darker, grittier atmosphere, with Donald operating as a subordinate employee under Bertha's tight-fisted rein.
Post-World War II, starting with Crows Can't Count (1946), the series shifts. Donald return from military service (a reflection of Gardner's own life and the era), and the power dynamic changes. Donald demands and secures a full partnership, and the agency is renamed Cool & Lam. The plots become lighter, more comedic, and heavily focused on elaborate white-collar scams, insurance fraud, and clever legal maneuvers. The setting also shifts, with the characters traveling beyond Los Angeles to flashy locations like Las Vegas, Palm Springs, and even international destinations like Tahiti.
Adaptations: From Page to Screen and Airwaves
The popularity of the books led to several attempts to adapt the characters for other media, though none achieved the long-term success of Gardner's Perry Mason franchise:
- Radio (1946): An adaptation of Turn on the Heat was broadcast on June 23, 1946, as part of ABC's United States Steel Hour of Mystery. In a surprising casting choice, a young Frank Sinatra starred as Donald Lam.
- Anthology Television (1955): The first novel, The Bigger They Come, was adapted as an episode of the CBS anthology series Climax!, featuring Art Carney as Donald Lam and Jane Darwell as Bertha Cool.
- The TV Pilot (1958): A half-hour television pilot titled Cool and Lam was produced by Paisano Productions (the team behind the Perry Mason TV show) with the hopes of launching a weekly series. Directed by Jacques Tourneur, the pilot starred Benay Venuta as Bertha Cool and former jockey Billy Pearson as Donald Lam. Erle Stanley Gardner even appeared in a live-action introduction. Ultimately, the network declined to pick up the series, though the pilot remains a popular piece of trivia for classic TV buffs.
What to Know Before You Start
Before you dive in, keep in mind that Erle Stanley Gardner wrote these books under the pseudonym A.A. Fair. The pen name was originally kept secret to prevent his Perry Mason fame from overshadowing the new series, though the secret was revealed in the early 1940s. Additionally, because the books rely heavily on mid-century legal loopholes, contract clauses, and insurance technicalities, pay close attention to Donald's explanations. He is a master of finding the tiny crack in a legal wall that allows his clients (and the agency) to escape unscathed.