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Cool and Lam #10
Crows Can't Count
Vintage paperback
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1946
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
August 30, 2017
The eleventh Donald Lam and Bertha Cool novel begins with a client who wants the detective agency to undertake a task that he will not stoop to do himself. The client, Harry Sharples, is one of two trustees who administer a trust with two beneficiaries. One of the beneficiaries, Sharples says, is an intelligent, responsible young woman who can be trusted with the money the trustees dole out to her. The other is a young man who is anything but responsible and who will gamble or otherwise fritter away whatever funds he is allowed.
Sharples is worried because a pendant filled with valuable emeralds and which belongs to the young woman, has suddenly appeared on the market. Sharples can't imagine why the woman would be selling the pendant and wonders if she is in some sort of financial difficulty. But he can't bring himself to ask her what's going on and so he wants Lam and Cool to investigate and figure it out for him.
Cool and Lam take the case and Donald begins to investigate. Inevitably, the case will become almost impossibly convoluted, as only a plot by Erle Stanley Gardner can do. A murder will be committed; a pet crow will enter the picture, and Donald will have to fly off to Colombia to check out an emerald mine. None of it makes any sense at all, but it's still always fun to watch Lam in action, bickering with his partner, and conducting the investigation in his own inimitable way. Of course Donald will be a magnet for at least a couple of over-sexed women and all in all, reading the book is a pleasant way to lose two or three hours.
Sharples is worried because a pendant filled with valuable emeralds and which belongs to the young woman, has suddenly appeared on the market. Sharples can't imagine why the woman would be selling the pendant and wonders if she is in some sort of financial difficulty. But he can't bring himself to ask her what's going on and so he wants Lam and Cool to investigate and figure it out for him.
Cool and Lam take the case and Donald begins to investigate. Inevitably, the case will become almost impossibly convoluted, as only a plot by Erle Stanley Gardner can do. A murder will be committed; a pet crow will enter the picture, and Donald will have to fly off to Colombia to check out an emerald mine. None of it makes any sense at all, but it's still always fun to watch Lam in action, bickering with his partner, and conducting the investigation in his own inimitable way. Of course Donald will be a magnet for at least a couple of over-sexed women and all in all, reading the book is a pleasant way to lose two or three hours.
May 2, 2020
This is definitely one of the best of the series so far. Far better than the last three installments, and back to the sort of thing that made me love this series.
The only real complaint I could make would be that this is again blowhard Bertha rather than kick-ass Bertha, but I'm not expecting to ever see kick-ass Bertha again unless I go back to reread the earliest volumes. It's pretty clear Gardner shifted to using her more for comic relief than as an actual partner, and I know in at least one later volume she barely features at all. Lam, however, is back on form here and that will do.
I'm sure I'm repeating myself, but the pleasure here is in the plots. Gardner is not great at characterization, or a master stylist, but I love his plotting. Some find them contrived, but for me having no clue what's going on is a treat. Most good stories stick close enough to established patterns that even if you're unsure of the details, you'll have a pretty good sense what's coming next. I never feel that way with Gardner's stuff unless I've read or watched that specific story before. Being rather terrible at keeping track of who's who, some of the explanations can be convoluted to the point that I feel like I would have to write out a timeline and diagrams to verify it's actually internally consistent, but yeah, I'm too lazy for that. Still, it's nice to be surprised by a story now and then.
The plot here revolves around two heirs to an estate holding some mines in Columbia and the two managers of their trust, and I didn't have a clue what was going on until over half way through the book. Then just past the three-quarters mark, Gardner pulled out another twist when I though he'd already tied everything off sufficiently to end the book. Good stuff.
The only real complaint I could make would be that this is again blowhard Bertha rather than kick-ass Bertha, but I'm not expecting to ever see kick-ass Bertha again unless I go back to reread the earliest volumes. It's pretty clear Gardner shifted to using her more for comic relief than as an actual partner, and I know in at least one later volume she barely features at all. Lam, however, is back on form here and that will do.
I'm sure I'm repeating myself, but the pleasure here is in the plots. Gardner is not great at characterization, or a master stylist, but I love his plotting. Some find them contrived, but for me having no clue what's going on is a treat. Most good stories stick close enough to established patterns that even if you're unsure of the details, you'll have a pretty good sense what's coming next. I never feel that way with Gardner's stuff unless I've read or watched that specific story before. Being rather terrible at keeping track of who's who, some of the explanations can be convoluted to the point that I feel like I would have to write out a timeline and diagrams to verify it's actually internally consistent, but yeah, I'm too lazy for that. Still, it's nice to be surprised by a story now and then.
The plot here revolves around two heirs to an estate holding some mines in Columbia and the two managers of their trust, and I didn't have a clue what was going on until over half way through the book. Then just past the three-quarters mark, Gardner pulled out another twist when I though he'd already tied everything off sufficiently to end the book. Good stuff.
December 5, 2020
Another great mystery by A.A. Fair!
I read this one as my husband and I were driving back home from Austin. It still took us a couple of nights to finish and, other than a rather convoluted plot, kept us eagerly reading to find out how everything was going to transpire and resolve.
A man, Sharples, comes to Lamb and Cool and presents his situation and predicament. He is co-executor of a trust fund to a young woman and man that was bestowed on them by a wealthy woman involved in Colombian mining. The problem is that the man gambles all of his money as soon as he gets it and the lady, who is so pure and good, won't accept more money than the young man.
Furthermore, a local jeweler has somehow ended up with an emerald that Sharples recognizes as a gem given to the girl. Has the girl hocked this precious stone? Has she done so for the sake of the young man, whom she wishes to protect from himself?
Lamb is hired to find out where the jeweler got the stone, but in a way that does not trace back to Sharples.
Needless to say, Lamb finds out a lot more than where the emerald came from: illegal emerald mining, murder, and much more. Nobody is who they claim or even believe themselves to be.
And that is all I'm going to divulge.
Oh, the crow? There is a crow in the story and he is important. And the key is that he can't count. That gives nothing away.
I read this one as my husband and I were driving back home from Austin. It still took us a couple of nights to finish and, other than a rather convoluted plot, kept us eagerly reading to find out how everything was going to transpire and resolve.
A man, Sharples, comes to Lamb and Cool and presents his situation and predicament. He is co-executor of a trust fund to a young woman and man that was bestowed on them by a wealthy woman involved in Colombian mining. The problem is that the man gambles all of his money as soon as he gets it and the lady, who is so pure and good, won't accept more money than the young man.
Furthermore, a local jeweler has somehow ended up with an emerald that Sharples recognizes as a gem given to the girl. Has the girl hocked this precious stone? Has she done so for the sake of the young man, whom she wishes to protect from himself?
Lamb is hired to find out where the jeweler got the stone, but in a way that does not trace back to Sharples.
Needless to say, Lamb finds out a lot more than where the emerald came from: illegal emerald mining, murder, and much more. Nobody is who they claim or even believe themselves to be.
And that is all I'm going to divulge.
Oh, the crow? There is a crow in the story and he is important. And the key is that he can't count. That gives nothing away.
March 7, 2022
Yet another complex whodunit starring Donald Lamb, the pint-sized detective with the “big� brain and his outsized, money-loving business partner Bertha Cool. Beginning with an innocuous inquiry into a hocked pendent, the pace picks up fairly fast with an unexpected murder, the mysterious appearance of dazzling precious gems, and of all the unusual characters, a pet crow with a penchant for glittering objects. In almost “Bond� style, the scene shifts to Colombia with its twisting mountain roads, steamy jungles, gold and gem mines, and an inscrutable and menacing police chief. Unraveling tortuous plots is Donald’s specialty, and this one is no different. An exciting read, and for those used to Earle Stanley Gardener’s Perry Mason with his perspicacity and trained legal mind, Gardner in his A.A. Fair avatar, sketches his protagonist Donald Lamb very differently. Also trained as a lawyer and no less sharp-witted than Mason, yet a total contrast.
September 6, 2009
Better than Try Anything Once, but still not really in the top drawer of the A. A. Fair books. Note to self: This is the one about the Colombian emeralds.
November 24, 2016
My second Gardner book, it's better than the first one I read. The story has several twists and turns, and is paced well. I quite enjoyed it.
August 21, 2023
World War II is over and Donald Lam is back from the navy and asserting himself in the partnership with Bertha Cool. They are hired by one of two trustees of a beneficial trust for two young adults. Both have reached the age of majority, but the trust won't terminate by its own terms until both reach age 25. The trustee, Sharples, wants Cool & Lam to look in to a missing emerald brooch that was in the possession of the young lady who is one of the trust beneficiaries. She is smart and good with her money, while the other is a gambling male wastrel. Of course the investigation leads to a murder and, ultimately to the subject of emerald mining in Colombia (at least as it stood in 1946).
I'm not sure why, but this is very possibly the best of the Cool & Lam novels up to this point (number 10 if you disregard the then unpublished "The Knife Slipped"). I just flew through the book reading it in one day. I think part of it is that Donald is very assertive in what he wants out of the partnership. He has 100% built it from a very small concern taking very sleazy jobs into a money-making operation. And, while there were definitely women available to turn Donald's head, he avoided the fall in love with the client/witness/suspect that has a habit of plaguing the series. Just a great example of why this series is fun and different from its contemporaries.
I'm not sure why, but this is very possibly the best of the Cool & Lam novels up to this point (number 10 if you disregard the then unpublished "The Knife Slipped"). I just flew through the book reading it in one day. I think part of it is that Donald is very assertive in what he wants out of the partnership. He has 100% built it from a very small concern taking very sleazy jobs into a money-making operation. And, while there were definitely women available to turn Donald's head, he avoided the fall in love with the client/witness/suspect that has a habit of plaguing the series. Just a great example of why this series is fun and different from its contemporaries.
May 29, 2021
This is part of the Cool and Lam series. Donald is now established as the lead detective and is demanding better facilities for himself and Elsie the long-suffering secretary. Bertha, as usual, is against this move seeking to remain in control of the business. Then a Mr Sharples seeks their help and leads Donald on a trail of murder, emeralds, deceipt and a trip to Colombia. Good ingredients and the usual characters including Captain Sellers and Sergeant Buda.
A good pace, intricate plot and not quite knowing where you are until the end. Just makes a 4-star rating from me.
A good pace, intricate plot and not quite knowing where you are until the end. Just makes a 4-star rating from me.
May 27, 2015
The investigative team of Bertha Cool and Donald Lam is one of the more interesting ones in literature. Bertha is a large woman whose appetite for money exceeds all of her other cravings and Donald is a genius at solving crimes. Unlike other detectives, he relies on thought and anticipation rather than the power of firearms. While he is similar to Perry Mason in that he skirts the edges of the law, generating hostility from police officers, unlike the Mason stories, the hostility between the law and Lam is not as dominant.
In this story, a client (Harry Sharples) asks for assistance in determining why the beneficiary of a trust (Shirley Bruce) that he co-administers is behaving the way she is. There are two beneficiaries, the other; (Robert Hockley) is a spendthrift who is always asking for more money. By the terms of the trust, it is possible for the relative amounts of the disbursement to be changed; however Shirley is willing to allow Robert to receive more money than she does.
The story revolves around a necklace made from emeralds. The trust has major holdings in Columbia, specifically gold and emerald mines. The Colombian government has a monopoly on emeralds, so the output of the mine is strictly regulated. Things change quickly when the other trust administrator (Robert Cameron) is found stabbed to death. Lam and Sharples discover the body and Lam immediately suspects a set-up. What further confuses the issue is that loose emeralds seem to be present in abundance. Cameron has a pet crow that moves between two nests and Lam finds emeralds in both locations. There is a beautiful artist and her hotheaded mother, who tries to knife Lam. With so many characters having their own contributions to the mystery, there are more than enough suspects to obfuscate the culprit.
What I liked most about the story is the description of Lam’s trip to Columbia. He interacts with Colombian authorities on an equal basis. There are no aspects of anti-American feeling in the Colombians and Lam treats them as intelligent equals rather than hicks. Bertha Cool fills the role of the ugly American, insulting everyone in sight. Lam learns all he needs to know while in Columbia and returns to the United States. Once he gets back, he unmasks some false relationships and exposes the murderer. It was not the person that I suspected, although there were clues distributed throughout the story.
This is one of the better Gardner mysteries, written under the pen name of A. A. Fair. Lam is the thinking person’s detective, he solves the case without firing a shot, punching a nose or engaging in deceptive actions.
This review also appears on Amazon
In this story, a client (Harry Sharples) asks for assistance in determining why the beneficiary of a trust (Shirley Bruce) that he co-administers is behaving the way she is. There are two beneficiaries, the other; (Robert Hockley) is a spendthrift who is always asking for more money. By the terms of the trust, it is possible for the relative amounts of the disbursement to be changed; however Shirley is willing to allow Robert to receive more money than she does.
The story revolves around a necklace made from emeralds. The trust has major holdings in Columbia, specifically gold and emerald mines. The Colombian government has a monopoly on emeralds, so the output of the mine is strictly regulated. Things change quickly when the other trust administrator (Robert Cameron) is found stabbed to death. Lam and Sharples discover the body and Lam immediately suspects a set-up. What further confuses the issue is that loose emeralds seem to be present in abundance. Cameron has a pet crow that moves between two nests and Lam finds emeralds in both locations. There is a beautiful artist and her hotheaded mother, who tries to knife Lam. With so many characters having their own contributions to the mystery, there are more than enough suspects to obfuscate the culprit.
What I liked most about the story is the description of Lam’s trip to Columbia. He interacts with Colombian authorities on an equal basis. There are no aspects of anti-American feeling in the Colombians and Lam treats them as intelligent equals rather than hicks. Bertha Cool fills the role of the ugly American, insulting everyone in sight. Lam learns all he needs to know while in Columbia and returns to the United States. Once he gets back, he unmasks some false relationships and exposes the murderer. It was not the person that I suspected, although there were clues distributed throughout the story.
This is one of the better Gardner mysteries, written under the pen name of A. A. Fair. Lam is the thinking person’s detective, he solves the case without firing a shot, punching a nose or engaging in deceptive actions.
This review also appears on Amazon
May 16, 2017
Erle Stanley Gardner wrote the Cool and Lam detective series under the pen name A A Fair. This thirty-book series was published between 1939 and 1970 ( not counting the Knife Slipped which was a recently published list novel). It features a mismatched odd couple of detective partners, greedy overweight dense Bertha Cool and the slightly built, clever deduction-making Donald Lam.
This plot is a bit contemplated and involves such things as seductive heiresses, emerald mining in South America, thieving crows, bodyguards, mysterious pendants, and, of course, at least one corpse.
Don't open this volume expecting action-packed madness like in a Mickey Spillane novel. In fact, throughout much of the book, there really isn't a whole lot of action, but it nevertheless holds a reader's interest. It is a novel showing off Donald Lam's powers of deductive reasoning.
May 23, 2020
This book was originally published in 1953 and is part of the Cool & Lam series written by Erle Stanley Gardner. I like Bertha Cool and Donald Lam and I like this series. OK, it's a bit dated by today's standards but I enjoyed this back in the 1970s and still enjoyed it this time around. The story is convoluted and all does not become clear until right at the end but Gardner is a witty writer whatever name he chooses to write under. Just go with the flow and admire how smart Donald Lam is!
January 14, 2017
Wonderful Plot
The characters are brought along and developed brilliantly. The book is a pleasure to read even more than 50 years after it was written. Gardner as A A Fair created a dynamic pair with Cool and Lam.
The characters are brought along and developed brilliantly. The book is a pleasure to read even more than 50 years after it was written. Gardner as A A Fair created a dynamic pair with Cool and Lam.
July 28, 2015
A trip to Bogota and Medellin, Columbia?!? Gardner is dangerously close to jumping the shark with this one.
June 18, 2017
Good
Not in the league of other Lam and Cool but anyway good entertainer. It sometimes unnecessarily drags on. And we get a feel that Mr. Gardner was not sure how to end the book.
Not in the league of other Lam and Cool but anyway good entertainer. It sometimes unnecessarily drags on. And we get a feel that Mr. Gardner was not sure how to end the book.
June 10, 2024
Exotic Columbia - back when emeralds were worth more than cocaine.
The war is over and Donald Lam is back at Cool & Lam Detective Agency. Bertha Cool is happy to see him since he brings in the kind of big-ticket cases she can't attract (or handle) on her own. If only he didn't have such strange ideas. Like paying their hard-working secretary a living wage and treating her like a human being. Bertha wants money coming in, NOT going out.
Still, Harry Sharples looks like money and Bertha needs Donald Lam to force him to tell them why he wants to hire them. It's vague, but Sharples is one of two trustees for the money (lots of it) left by wealthy Cora Hendricks to two young people she was fond of. Sharples and Robert Cameron have been handling the trust for twenty years (and making a nice profit from the fees) but now the two beneficiaries are grown and one of them wants his inheritance NOW.
Sharples adores Shirley Bruce and it's not hard to see why. She's a lush brunette beauty and her affection for her "Uncle Harry" is hot enough to set fire to the furniture. So why has she sold an emerald necklace without telling him? Is she giving money to ne'er-do-well Robert Hockley, the other beneficiary of the trust?
Sharples and Lam go to Robert Cameron to find out what he knows, but he's not talking. Someone stuck a knife in his back. His pet crow (Pancho) has flown the coop and there's a necklace with the stones removed on Cameron's desk. Where are the missing emeralds?
Lam takes off for Columbia, where Sharples, Cameron, and Cora Headricks all had mining interests. Emeralds are big business for Columbia and the government controls the output to avoid flooding the market and bringing prices down. Donald quickly learns than anyone asking questions gets to meet some charming, but very tough Columbian policemen. They suspect someone is mining and selling emeralds illegally. Is it Cool & Lam's clients?
If Sharples and Cameron are on the level, why is there so much secrecy concerning their mining operation and their handling of Cora Headricks' trust? How did an illiterate peasant get to be manager of their mine? What does he know that threatens them and what does his mother know that puts her in danger? And who's the hot-tempered, knife-throwing Columbian woman who adores Shirley Bruce and hates her own talented, hard-working daughter?
I love the Cool & Lam books, but this one is slow going. It seems like Gardner wasn't sure how to approach this complicated story of international intrigue, crooked trustees, and switched-at-birth heiresses. The first half is tentative and occasionally repetitious. The second half is better, but it's part-mystery-part-travelogue. Clearly, the author had been to Columbia and wanted to express his admiration of its culture and people. That's fine, but it adds nothing to the mystery itself.
Since Donald's been away, he and Bertha have to hammer out a new working relationship. He demands a say in the running of the business, with predictable explosions from Bertha. Bertha Cool is a fascinating character, but she's given little to do for a long time. We're past the fifty percent mark before she comes out with her trademark "Well, fry me for an oyster!"
She does have a fine turn as a rich society dame infiltrating a ritzy jewelry store in search of information about that missing emerald necklace. She makes a good appearance in her furs and diamonds, but do well-born ladies loudly threaten to flatten anyone who gets fresh with them?
When she follows Donald to Columbia, the action heats up. Bombastic Bertha's collision with ancient Latin American traditions is hilarious. For a time, it's a good bet she may spend the rest of her life in a Columbian prison, but her old admirer Captain Frank Sellers is working on her behalf. Bertha may be a hefty, middle-aged broad, but she's still got it!
It's not the best in this series, but it's witty and has some interesting characters. The feeling that Gardner enjoyed writing these books makes them fun to read. I hope more will appear in Kindle editions.
The war is over and Donald Lam is back at Cool & Lam Detective Agency. Bertha Cool is happy to see him since he brings in the kind of big-ticket cases she can't attract (or handle) on her own. If only he didn't have such strange ideas. Like paying their hard-working secretary a living wage and treating her like a human being. Bertha wants money coming in, NOT going out.
Still, Harry Sharples looks like money and Bertha needs Donald Lam to force him to tell them why he wants to hire them. It's vague, but Sharples is one of two trustees for the money (lots of it) left by wealthy Cora Hendricks to two young people she was fond of. Sharples and Robert Cameron have been handling the trust for twenty years (and making a nice profit from the fees) but now the two beneficiaries are grown and one of them wants his inheritance NOW.
Sharples adores Shirley Bruce and it's not hard to see why. She's a lush brunette beauty and her affection for her "Uncle Harry" is hot enough to set fire to the furniture. So why has she sold an emerald necklace without telling him? Is she giving money to ne'er-do-well Robert Hockley, the other beneficiary of the trust?
Sharples and Lam go to Robert Cameron to find out what he knows, but he's not talking. Someone stuck a knife in his back. His pet crow (Pancho) has flown the coop and there's a necklace with the stones removed on Cameron's desk. Where are the missing emeralds?
Lam takes off for Columbia, where Sharples, Cameron, and Cora Headricks all had mining interests. Emeralds are big business for Columbia and the government controls the output to avoid flooding the market and bringing prices down. Donald quickly learns than anyone asking questions gets to meet some charming, but very tough Columbian policemen. They suspect someone is mining and selling emeralds illegally. Is it Cool & Lam's clients?
If Sharples and Cameron are on the level, why is there so much secrecy concerning their mining operation and their handling of Cora Headricks' trust? How did an illiterate peasant get to be manager of their mine? What does he know that threatens them and what does his mother know that puts her in danger? And who's the hot-tempered, knife-throwing Columbian woman who adores Shirley Bruce and hates her own talented, hard-working daughter?
I love the Cool & Lam books, but this one is slow going. It seems like Gardner wasn't sure how to approach this complicated story of international intrigue, crooked trustees, and switched-at-birth heiresses. The first half is tentative and occasionally repetitious. The second half is better, but it's part-mystery-part-travelogue. Clearly, the author had been to Columbia and wanted to express his admiration of its culture and people. That's fine, but it adds nothing to the mystery itself.
Since Donald's been away, he and Bertha have to hammer out a new working relationship. He demands a say in the running of the business, with predictable explosions from Bertha. Bertha Cool is a fascinating character, but she's given little to do for a long time. We're past the fifty percent mark before she comes out with her trademark "Well, fry me for an oyster!"
She does have a fine turn as a rich society dame infiltrating a ritzy jewelry store in search of information about that missing emerald necklace. She makes a good appearance in her furs and diamonds, but do well-born ladies loudly threaten to flatten anyone who gets fresh with them?
When she follows Donald to Columbia, the action heats up. Bombastic Bertha's collision with ancient Latin American traditions is hilarious. For a time, it's a good bet she may spend the rest of her life in a Columbian prison, but her old admirer Captain Frank Sellers is working on her behalf. Bertha may be a hefty, middle-aged broad, but she's still got it!
It's not the best in this series, but it's witty and has some interesting characters. The feeling that Gardner enjoyed writing these books makes them fun to read. I hope more will appear in Kindle editions.
August 26, 2018
Overly complex back story and an obvious resolution based on the title. Characters are all too stereotyped and predictable. It's worth reading for Lam's and Cool's trip to Columbia. There's a lot of interesting information about the government of Columbia in the 1950s. Unfortunately the characters in Columbia are no less stereotypical than the ones in Los Angeles. The comedy between Lam and Cool are what make these books amusing even though you know how everything is going to sort out before hand. I'm surprised no TV series has been attempted around this pair of detectives. I find myself thinking that as a narrator Donald Lam is very self serving and if any of the other characters were telling the story he would not come off as clever as he thinks he is. I much preferred Give 'Em the Ax to this story.
May 26, 2021
Noir Los Angeles Meets Medellin Intrigue
AAFair aka Erle Stanley Gardner creates sweeping mystery with a Crow, some emeralds, an inheritance and two trusties. A mother and a daughter are discovered through avaricious lies and art merges with detection to make Cool and Lam a top attraction.
AAFair aka Erle Stanley Gardner creates sweeping mystery with a Crow, some emeralds, an inheritance and two trusties. A mother and a daughter are discovered through avaricious lies and art merges with detection to make Cool and Lam a top attraction.
July 3, 2020
Crowd can't Count
Interesting to read full the End. Too many characters. Twist in the story. Lam's
Thinking is logical and suspenseful. Once you know Lam's ability you are comfortable to read as you are sure he will resolve at the end.
Interesting to read full the End. Too many characters. Twist in the story. Lam's
Thinking is logical and suspenseful. Once you know Lam's ability you are comfortable to read as you are sure he will resolve at the end.
August 19, 2020
Donald and Bertha end up in Colombia when they are asked to investigate an Emerald pendant that has ties to mining in Colombia. The crow's part in the story was very entertaining. And of course, there are young women and murder.
May 26, 2021
Too convoluted and too many facts and characters appearing close to the end. Seemed like Gardener must have visited Columbia, had some good coffee, and built the plot just so he could spend a chapter talking about it. Cool and Lam characters keep changing and not for the better.
March 1, 2024
It was interesting seeing Lam out of his element, and even more fun seeing Bertha out of hers. That a nearly 80 year old mystery could keep me guessing to the very last page is a testament to Gardner's skill.
August 16, 2018
Nice but also in a way complicated storyline.
January 19, 2020
I am really enjoying the Cool & Lam series, Erle Stanley Gardner is a master of storytelling and characterization. Now you can go fry me a oyster.
April 13, 2023
Another complex Lam-Cool story. Solid but I find the stories a bit too complex to give them 5 stars.
November 26, 2024
Always reliable, rarely predictable.
June 4, 2022
Awesome!!
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