Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Bigger They Come | 1939 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 2 | The Knife Slipped | 1939 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 3 | Turn on the Heat | 1940 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 4 | Gold Comes in Bricks | 1940 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 5 | Spill the Jackpot | 1941 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 6 | Double or Quits | 1941 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 7 | Owls Don’t Blink | 1942 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 8 | Bats Fly at Dusk | 1942 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 9 | Cats Prowl at Night | 1943 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 10 | Give ’em the Ax | 1944 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 11 | Crows Can’t Count | 1946 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 12 | Fools Die on Friday | 1947 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 13 | Bedrooms Have Windows | 1949 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 14 | Top of the Heap | 1952 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 15 | Some Women Won’t Wait | 1953 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 16 | Beware the Curves | 1956 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 17 | You Can Die Laughing | 1957 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 18 | Some Slips Don’t Show | 1957 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 19 | The Count of 9 | 1958 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 20 | Pass the Gravy | 1959 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 21 | Kept Women Can’t Quit | 1960 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 22 | Bachelors Get Lonely | 1961 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 23 | Shills Can’t Cash Chips | 1961 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 24 | Try Anything Once | 1962 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 25 | Fish or Cut Bait | 1963 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 26 | Up for Grabs | 1964 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 27 | Cut Thin to Win | 1965 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 28 | Widows Wear Weeds | 1966 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 29 | Traps Need Fresh Bait | 1967 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
| 30 | All Grass Isn’t Green | 1970 | Erle Stanley Gardner | Buy |
The Donald Lam and Bertha Cool series runs for 30 novels published between 1939 and 1970, written by Erle Stanley Gardner under the pen name A.A. Fair. The series follows a mis-matched detective partnership: Donald Lam is a young, quick-witted former lawyer who was disbarred, and Bertha Cool is his heavyset, money-focused employer and business partner. Their contrasting personalities drive much of the series’ humor.
The series begins with The Bigger They Come (1939) and runs through All Grass Isn’t Green (1970), with books published regularly throughout Gardner’s career alongside his Perry Mason novels. The Cool-Lam books are generally lighter in tone than the Mason series, with more comic banter and a greater emphasis on the dynamic between the two protagonists.
Donald Lam handles most of the physical detective work while Bertha Cool manages the business and provides sardonic commentary. The relationship between the two is one of the more distinctive pairings in mid-century detective fiction, and the series has its own devoted readership separate from the Mason fans. Starting with The Bigger They Come provides the best introduction to both characters.