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Reading order

Donald Lam & Bertha Cool Books in Order

This page lists the complete Donald Lam & Bertha Cool reading order by Erle Stanley Gardner, with book numbers, publication years, and a publication-order view for readers who want to start at the beginning.

Updated 2026-06-22 / 30 books / 1939-1970

Donald Lam & Bertha Cool Reading Order

01 The Bigger They Come 1939 Buy

02 The Knife Slipped 1939 Buy

03 Turn on the Heat 1940 Buy

04 Gold Comes in Bricks 1940 Buy

05 Spill the Jackpot 1941 Buy

06 Double or Quits 1941 Buy

07 Owls Don't Blink 1942 Buy

08 Bats Fly at Dusk 1942 Buy

09 Cats Prowl at Night 1943 Buy

10 Give 'em the Ax 1944 Buy

11 Crows Can't Count 1946 Buy

12 Fools Die on Friday 1947 Buy

13 Bedrooms Have Windows 1949 Buy

14 Top of the Heap 1952 Buy

15 Some Women Won't Wait 1953 Buy

16 Beware the Curves 1956 Buy

17 You Can Die Laughing 1957 Buy

18 Some Slips Don't Show 1957 Buy

19 The Count of 9 1958 Buy

20 Pass the Gravy 1959 Buy

21 Kept Women Can't Quit 1960 Buy

22 Bachelors Get Lonely 1961 Buy

23 Shills Can't Cash Chips 1961 Buy

24 Try Anything Once 1962 Buy

25 Fish or Cut Bait 1963 Buy

26 Up for Grabs 1964 Buy

27 Cut Thin to Win 1965 Buy

28 Widows Wear Weeds 1966 Buy

29 Traps Need Fresh Bait 1967 Buy

30 All Grass Isn't Green 1970 Buy

Donald Lam & Bertha Cool Books by Publication Order

1939 The Bigger They Come #1

1939 The Knife Slipped #2

1940 Turn on the Heat #3

1940 Gold Comes in Bricks #4

1941 Spill the Jackpot #5

1941 Double or Quits #6

1942 Owls Don't Blink #7

1942 Bats Fly at Dusk #8

1943 Cats Prowl at Night #9

1944 Give 'em the Ax #10

1946 Crows Can't Count #11

1947 Fools Die on Friday #12

1949 Bedrooms Have Windows #13

1952 Top of the Heap #14

1953 Some Women Won't Wait #15

1956 Beware the Curves #16

1957 You Can Die Laughing #17

1957 Some Slips Don't Show #18

1958 The Count of 9 #19

1959 Pass the Gravy #20

1960 Kept Women Can't Quit #21

1961 Bachelors Get Lonely #22

1961 Shills Can't Cash Chips #23

1962 Try Anything Once #24

1963 Fish or Cut Bait #25

1964 Up for Grabs #26

1965 Cut Thin to Win #27

1966 Widows Wear Weeds #28

1967 Traps Need Fresh Bait #29

1970 All Grass Isn't Green #30

Questions readers ask

What is the correct Donald Lam & Bertha Cool reading order?

The Donald Lam & Bertha Cool reading order on this page follows the numbered series order where available, with publication years shown beside each book.

How many Donald Lam & Bertha Cool books are there?

This catalog currently lists 30 Donald Lam & Bertha Cool books published across 1939-1970.

Who writes the Donald Lam & Bertha Cool books?

Donald Lam & Bertha Cool is listed as a book series by Erle Stanley Gardner.

Should I read Donald Lam & Bertha Cool in publication order?

For most readers, publication order is the safest way to read Donald Lam & Bertha Cool. If a separate series order is available, this page shows that order first and publication years beside each title.

More by Erle Stanley Gardner

Erle Stanley Gardner books in order and complete bibliography ->

Source note: Sequencebooks organizes author, book, and series records from its catalog data. Publication years and series order are shown when available.