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Cool and Lam #5
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While tracking down jewels stolen from a prominent doctor's safe, Donald Lam and Bertha Cool encounter a suspicious death, lies, a custody battle and blackmail, and conflict with an insurance company over a double indemnity clause in an insurance policy.
204 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1941
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
April 3, 2017
Whether in his Perry Mason series or in this Donald Lam/Bertha Cool series, Erle Stanley Gardner was fond of creating plots that revolved around extended wealthy families, living in large houses with chauffeurs and a couple of maids. Usually, there was a patriarch of some sort, often with a wife that he didn't relate to very well. There were almost always a couple of shirt-tail relatives living in the house, usually from the wife's side of the family, and usually, even though young and able-bodied, too damned lazy to go out, get a job and support themselves.
Such is the case in Double Or Quits, the sixth novel in the Lam/Cool series, published in 1941. In this case, the patriarch is a doctor who wants the firm to quietly investigate the disappearance of some jewels from the safe in his home study. A young woman who was employed in the home mysteriously disappeared at the same time the jewels went missing, and she's the obvious suspect. The plan is that Donald will go out to the doctor's home, posing as a family friend, and investigate the situation from the inside.
Of course, as anyone who's read two or three of these books knows full well, nothing is as it appears. Before long, there's a murder; there's a confidence game going on; the garage door is malfunctioning; someone is poisoning the Scotch, and things are getting downright confusing--for everyone except Donald Lam, of course.
Like a lot of the Perry Masons, most of the Lam/Cool books have plots that are so convoluted that they're impossible to follow. Better to not even try. It's a lot more fun just to go along for the ride and let Donald Lam ultimately sort everything out in the end.
This book is significant to the series because in the first five books, Donald Lam has only been Bertha Cool's employee. This is the book in which he forces Bertha to take him in as a partner and from now on, the firm will be known as Cool and Lam.
Such is the case in Double Or Quits, the sixth novel in the Lam/Cool series, published in 1941. In this case, the patriarch is a doctor who wants the firm to quietly investigate the disappearance of some jewels from the safe in his home study. A young woman who was employed in the home mysteriously disappeared at the same time the jewels went missing, and she's the obvious suspect. The plan is that Donald will go out to the doctor's home, posing as a family friend, and investigate the situation from the inside.
Of course, as anyone who's read two or three of these books knows full well, nothing is as it appears. Before long, there's a murder; there's a confidence game going on; the garage door is malfunctioning; someone is poisoning the Scotch, and things are getting downright confusing--for everyone except Donald Lam, of course.
Like a lot of the Perry Masons, most of the Lam/Cool books have plots that are so convoluted that they're impossible to follow. Better to not even try. It's a lot more fun just to go along for the ride and let Donald Lam ultimately sort everything out in the end.
This book is significant to the series because in the first five books, Donald Lam has only been Bertha Cool's employee. This is the book in which he forces Bertha to take him in as a partner and from now on, the firm will be known as Cool and Lam.
February 4, 2017
I was on a brief trip to D.C. this past week & I finished the book that I had taken with me, prompting a visit to Second Story Books in DuPont Circle, where I came upon an early-1970s paperback edition of this book. It proved to be an engrossingly quick read & I was able to guess at some of the plot twists & I was surprised by others.
As a young man, I was thoroughly taken by Perry Mason, partially as a result of daytime TV reruns, but I voraciously read that series of books. I attempted some of the Cool/Lam series back then, but found them to be too "adult" to understand. Now, they seem a bit dated & not as compelling. Still, it has rekindled my desire to read the entire series, most of which I still own from childhood.
As a young man, I was thoroughly taken by Perry Mason, partially as a result of daytime TV reruns, but I voraciously read that series of books. I attempted some of the Cool/Lam series back then, but found them to be too "adult" to understand. Now, they seem a bit dated & not as compelling. Still, it has rekindled my desire to read the entire series, most of which I still own from childhood.
May 28, 2018
Where have Cool & Lam been all my life? What an inspired combination for a detective agency and a great mystery with which to meet them!
I read four short stories in a row by Earle Stanley Gardner (A.A. Fair's real name) in the Big Book of Rogues and Villains. I'd never taken a cotton to Perry Mason but these featured rogues that sent me looking for more such characters. Luckily I came across Cool & Lam with big, bad tempered Bertha Cool and half-pint, clever, attractive Donald Lam. I will be reading all I can find, which won't be many as I'll have to scour used book stores for them. Not many are in reprint.
They are a sheer pleasure to read, trust me on this.
I read four short stories in a row by Earle Stanley Gardner (A.A. Fair's real name) in the Big Book of Rogues and Villains. I'd never taken a cotton to Perry Mason but these featured rogues that sent me looking for more such characters. Luckily I came across Cool & Lam with big, bad tempered Bertha Cool and half-pint, clever, attractive Donald Lam. I will be reading all I can find, which won't be many as I'll have to scour used book stores for them. Not many are in reprint.
They are a sheer pleasure to read, trust me on this.
January 10, 2020
Gardner’s Lam and Cool mystery series is not as well known as his Perry Mason series. They are a mismatched Odd Couple pairing of private eyes. Bertha Cool is an overweight ovebearing penny pincher with zero in people skills. Donald Lam is the brains of the outfit and eventually solves their cases. While these mysteries are not filled with chase scenes or all out battles, they are generally witty, clever, and worth reading. Double or Quits involves a safecracker, missing jewels, a bicycle-riding tennis playing woman, a tricky garage door, and murder. However, its not quite the smooth read the other books in the series are and somewhere along the line, the reader gets left behind on one of the twists and turns.
September 12, 2017
A nice romp of a case from one of my favorite writers. I'm pretty sure Double or Quits was the first Donald Lam/Bertha Cool mystery I ever read, back when that meant I was borrowing a book from my dad's bookshelves. Even all these years later, as soon as the Santa Ana winds were mentioned, I knew we were heading for a garage door shifting in the wind and an investigation that would focus on the insurance policy's meaning of death by accidental means. Lots of shady characters. A terrific fast read.
August 14, 2013
**Minor spoilers**
This was enjoyable, but it wasn't as good as the other Cool & Lam novels I've read so far. I like the fact that Donald blundered a bit in this one, touches like that once and a while really help to make his character more believable--people really are fallible, and I appreciate it when authors remember that. Not that I want it all the time, but every so often I feel like it adds something to a series/character.
I agree with the other reviewer who mentioned that this one really did lack something in the characterization of the "supporting cast", and I never found myself caring very much what happened to any of them. A definite draw back in any book. Also, my other main complaint, is how much ink was spent on the Donald & Elsie friendship/relationship. It made the book feel more generic-mystery novel of the age (boy solves case, boy gets/wants secretary)
But Donald was still a solid character, and this is the entry in the series where he forces Bertha to make him an equal partner.
I did find Donald & Bertha's interactions to be very well done, in general, in this book; more enjoyable (better balance of bickering and banter) than some of the others I've read.
Just another note, I believe this is the only book in the series where Donald wins a fist-fight.
This was enjoyable, but it wasn't as good as the other Cool & Lam novels I've read so far. I like the fact that Donald blundered a bit in this one, touches like that once and a while really help to make his character more believable--people really are fallible, and I appreciate it when authors remember that. Not that I want it all the time, but every so often I feel like it adds something to a series/character.
I agree with the other reviewer who mentioned that this one really did lack something in the characterization of the "supporting cast", and I never found myself caring very much what happened to any of them. A definite draw back in any book. Also, my other main complaint, is how much ink was spent on the Donald & Elsie friendship/relationship. It made the book feel more generic-mystery novel of the age (boy solves case, boy gets/wants secretary)
But Donald was still a solid character, and this is the entry in the series where he forces Bertha to make him an equal partner.
I did find Donald & Bertha's interactions to be very well done, in general, in this book; more enjoyable (better balance of bickering and banter) than some of the others I've read.
Just another note, I believe this is the only book in the series where Donald wins a fist-fight.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2011
This one is probably closer to 3 1/2 stars. A weaker entry in to the Cool & Lam series of novels. It suffers a bit from over-plotting, weak characterization of the secondary characters and the ending strays WAY in to the "cozy mystery" tradition. But given the fact that the clues really weren't there, it almost has to do so as Lam mystically figures it all out.
Readable, but a disappointment compared to the other Cool & Lam books that I've read.
Readable, but a disappointment compared to the other Cool & Lam books that I've read.
November 7, 2016
This is my first experience with the work of Erle Stanley Gardner, supposedly the king of American mystery fiction, and I am a bit disappointed with it. The plot is loose and there are quite a few side characters with schemes of their own. The process of detection doesn't feel convincing enough. And the bad print quality of this edition doesn't help the cause.
I have bought another book from this series, and I do hope it turns out to be better than this one...
I have bought another book from this series, and I do hope it turns out to be better than this one...
January 22, 2010
Rather better than the few Perry Mason novels I've encountered. While informed by a legal snarl (the difference between 'accidental death' and 'death by accidental means'), this is clearly a murder mystery from the perspective of an investigator. The writing and plotting is greatly improved by the removal of Perry Mason's obligatory courtroom scenes and the blustery Hamilton Burger.
January 22, 2010
Rather better than the few Perry Mason novels I've encountered. While informed by a legal snarl (the difference between 'accidental death' and 'death by accidental means'), this is clearly a murder mystery from the perspective of an investigator. The writing and plotting is greatly improved by the removal of Perry Mason's obligatory courtroom scenes and the blustery Hamilton Burger.
March 22, 2023
What I liked about this episode in the Lam-Cool series is that we got to know the secretary, Elsie Brand, better. Also, where Gardner often shines as a writer is his mastery over legal technicalities. Here the interpretation of insurance law is fascinating, and, indeed, gives the book its title. A solid contribution to the series.
September 1, 2022
I had a strangely hard time getting into this one. There were just too many characters and too much going on, but I have to say the description of what was going on with Lam at the end was spectacular, and added to the overal tenseness of the situation. Good ending.
Read
May 23, 2010Double or Quits by A. A. (Erle Stanley Gardner) Fair (1972)
March 31, 2011
as AA Fair
November 14, 2012
This was definitely a change from reading his Perry Mason Mysteries. The story had some nice twist and turns to it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
December 25, 2018Synopsis: Gardner's Donald Lam and Bertha Cool get involved with a not-so-good doctor when he hires them to find some stolen jewels.
September 9, 2022
Bertha goes fishing and catches a client.
In this fifth book in the Cool & Lam series, Bertha Cool has lost weight from a recent illness and is now down to 160 lbs of muscle and bad disposition. She's decided she needs to spend more time relaxing, so the opening finds her and Donald Lam on a deep sea fishing cruise. Another person seeking a brief rest cure is Dr Hilton Devarest, who shows immediate interest when he learns that Bertha is Mrs Bertha Cool of B. Cool Confidential Investigations.
The good doctor is hesitant to discuss personal matters, so Bertha applies gentle encouragement. "If something's on your mind, for God's sake go ahead and spill it." Bertha's sledge-hammer personality sends some potential clients running, but Dr Devarest takes it as a sign of conpetence. Before the return to dry land, the agency's been hired to find out who stole Mrs Devarest's jewelry from the doctor's home safe.
The luxurious Devarest household consists of the doctor and his wife, an ageing coquette who dotes on her playboy nephew. The doctor prefers his wife's niece, a a wealthy young divorced woman with a small daughter. There's a handsome, womanizing chauffeur and a pretty, flirtatious maid. Mrs Devarest's secretary did live in, but she disappeared when the jewelry went missing. Does that mean she's the thief?
Mrs Devarest thinks so and wants the girl arrested. Her husband wants Lam to find her so that the jewels can be returned and the whole matter dropped. Before Donald can figure out who wants what and why, there's a shocking accident. Or maybe it's a suicide. Or maybe it's a murder. Whichever it is, the agency suddenly has a new client - a widow who wants them to collect on her deceased husband's insurance policy.
She's expecting a double payout since the death was (according to her) an accident, but the policy has fine print and it all hinges on whether or not the death was a result of "accidental means." There's a large amount of money involved and Bertha wants a piece of it, but the more Donald probes, the more complicated things get.
One of the characters is a convicted thief operating under a false name. An "old friend" shows up at the funeral to repay a small loan, but how many funerals does this guy attend? And the niece is convinced that the thief's object wasn't the jewelry, but vital information about her dangerous ex-husband. How does all this play into the surprise found in Dr Devarest's glove compartment after his death?
I think this one is almost TOO complicated and I don't think the author included clues that gave his readers a fair chance at guessing the murderer. But I love the fun of the abrasive, penny-pinching Bertha Cool bouncing off of Donald Lam's smooth superiority. She can't live with him and she can't live without him. A tough situation for a woman who prides herself on not depending on men.
I also like Bertha's secretary Elsie Brand, who plays a larger role in this book than usual. And I love Lieutenant Lisman, a smart cop who's willing to work with an honest private eye (as long as all the benefits of the relationship are headed in his direction.) As far as I know, this is his only appearance in the series, which is a shame.
It's action packed and the plot gives Donald Lam plenty of opportunites to demonstrate his intelligence and ingenuity. Plus, he gets a chance to quit, be made a partner, be a fugitive from justice, and be poisoned by a murderer who doesn't want to be caught. They never do, do they?
This series is good reading. I'm glad that Kindle editions are now becoming available.
In this fifth book in the Cool & Lam series, Bertha Cool has lost weight from a recent illness and is now down to 160 lbs of muscle and bad disposition. She's decided she needs to spend more time relaxing, so the opening finds her and Donald Lam on a deep sea fishing cruise. Another person seeking a brief rest cure is Dr Hilton Devarest, who shows immediate interest when he learns that Bertha is Mrs Bertha Cool of B. Cool Confidential Investigations.
The good doctor is hesitant to discuss personal matters, so Bertha applies gentle encouragement. "If something's on your mind, for God's sake go ahead and spill it." Bertha's sledge-hammer personality sends some potential clients running, but Dr Devarest takes it as a sign of conpetence. Before the return to dry land, the agency's been hired to find out who stole Mrs Devarest's jewelry from the doctor's home safe.
The luxurious Devarest household consists of the doctor and his wife, an ageing coquette who dotes on her playboy nephew. The doctor prefers his wife's niece, a a wealthy young divorced woman with a small daughter. There's a handsome, womanizing chauffeur and a pretty, flirtatious maid. Mrs Devarest's secretary did live in, but she disappeared when the jewelry went missing. Does that mean she's the thief?
Mrs Devarest thinks so and wants the girl arrested. Her husband wants Lam to find her so that the jewels can be returned and the whole matter dropped. Before Donald can figure out who wants what and why, there's a shocking accident. Or maybe it's a suicide. Or maybe it's a murder. Whichever it is, the agency suddenly has a new client - a widow who wants them to collect on her deceased husband's insurance policy.
She's expecting a double payout since the death was (according to her) an accident, but the policy has fine print and it all hinges on whether or not the death was a result of "accidental means." There's a large amount of money involved and Bertha wants a piece of it, but the more Donald probes, the more complicated things get.
One of the characters is a convicted thief operating under a false name. An "old friend" shows up at the funeral to repay a small loan, but how many funerals does this guy attend? And the niece is convinced that the thief's object wasn't the jewelry, but vital information about her dangerous ex-husband. How does all this play into the surprise found in Dr Devarest's glove compartment after his death?
I think this one is almost TOO complicated and I don't think the author included clues that gave his readers a fair chance at guessing the murderer. But I love the fun of the abrasive, penny-pinching Bertha Cool bouncing off of Donald Lam's smooth superiority. She can't live with him and she can't live without him. A tough situation for a woman who prides herself on not depending on men.
I also like Bertha's secretary Elsie Brand, who plays a larger role in this book than usual. And I love Lieutenant Lisman, a smart cop who's willing to work with an honest private eye (as long as all the benefits of the relationship are headed in his direction.) As far as I know, this is his only appearance in the series, which is a shame.
It's action packed and the plot gives Donald Lam plenty of opportunites to demonstrate his intelligence and ingenuity. Plus, he gets a chance to quit, be made a partner, be a fugitive from justice, and be poisoned by a murderer who doesn't want to be caught. They never do, do they?
This series is good reading. I'm glad that Kindle editions are now becoming available.
September 11, 2024
Bertha Cool and Donald Lam are taking time off between cases and doing a little fishing. One of the fishermen on the boat learns the two are private investigators. He approaches them with his problem and Cool and Lam wind up with a new case.
It seems Dr. Devarest (new client) had put his wife’s jewels in his wall safe after an evening of entertaining guests. The next afternoon, when he opened it for her, they found the safe had been robbed. Devarest wants Cool and Lam to find out who did it and get the jewels back…no questions asked. Devarest’s first choice of suspects is his wife’s secretary, who had disappeared the next morning.
What would be a fairly simple case becomes complicated. A nephew who is a ladies’ man, a niece who is sexy and very interested in the mystery and Donald Lam, are added to the mix. Then there is the fact that Demarest’s wife has her own secret affair going with a close friend of Demarest.
Add in a killer who is out to stop the investigation, even if it takes another murder making two for the case, blackmail, a confidence game, a rich divorcee, a lonely widow and the poisoned Scotch. Talk about complications!
Written in 1941, it’s a fast moving case with no-nonsense PIs who are out to solve it and collect their fees. Great read!
It seems Dr. Devarest (new client) had put his wife’s jewels in his wall safe after an evening of entertaining guests. The next afternoon, when he opened it for her, they found the safe had been robbed. Devarest wants Cool and Lam to find out who did it and get the jewels back…no questions asked. Devarest’s first choice of suspects is his wife’s secretary, who had disappeared the next morning.
What would be a fairly simple case becomes complicated. A nephew who is a ladies’ man, a niece who is sexy and very interested in the mystery and Donald Lam, are added to the mix. Then there is the fact that Demarest’s wife has her own secret affair going with a close friend of Demarest.
Add in a killer who is out to stop the investigation, even if it takes another murder making two for the case, blackmail, a confidence game, a rich divorcee, a lonely widow and the poisoned Scotch. Talk about complications!
Written in 1941, it’s a fast moving case with no-nonsense PIs who are out to solve it and collect their fees. Great read!
January 9, 2024
Glad I Read It Again
I read this book more than 60 years ago, when I was in high school. All I remembered about it was that it had to do with an insurance policy with a double indemnity clause. I had completely forgotten all the drama and suspense.
BTW, I guessed wrong on the solution.
I read this book more than 60 years ago, when I was in high school. All I remembered about it was that it had to do with an insurance policy with a double indemnity clause. I had completely forgotten all the drama and suspense.
BTW, I guessed wrong on the solution.
September 30, 2025
"You're a thinking, reasoning machine that's interested only in crime puzzles. Mrs. Cool told me that. But she said women went simply crazy over you."
"Like a lot of the Perry Masons, most of the Lam/Cool books have plots that are so convoluted that they're impossible to follow. Better to not even try. It's a lot more fun just to go along for the ride and let Donald Lam ultimately sort everything out in the end." James Thane.
So this is my first A. A. Fair.
Granted it's the sixth in the series, but I have to ask myself if I really wouldn't have given it only 2 stars without knowing the ESG connection.
"Like a lot of the Perry Masons, most of the Lam/Cool books have plots that are so convoluted that they're impossible to follow. Better to not even try. It's a lot more fun just to go along for the ride and let Donald Lam ultimately sort everything out in the end." James Thane.
So this is my first A. A. Fair.
Granted it's the sixth in the series, but I have to ask myself if I really wouldn't have given it only 2 stars without knowing the ESG connection.
May 25, 2024
A Great Read
This is another slam dunk in Gardner’s Cool & Lam series, with many plot twists and a variety of interesting, if not appealing, characters. The legal theory in it is also fascinating and reflects Gardner’s work as a trial attorney. One of my favorites in this series!
This is another slam dunk in Gardner’s Cool & Lam series, with many plot twists and a variety of interesting, if not appealing, characters. The legal theory in it is also fascinating and reflects Gardner’s work as a trial attorney. One of my favorites in this series!
September 12, 2022
Huh?
At times pretty confusing as to the roles of the characters, so fell asleep reading it at times. Not planning to read more by this author.
At times pretty confusing as to the roles of the characters, so fell asleep reading it at times. Not planning to read more by this author.
September 9, 2024
The books are getting better. The mysteries are so intriguing that you never guess who did it.
January 29, 2026
Excellent! Really Excellent!
New to me characters - ESG - is an old favorite. Twists aplenty in a devious plot. Definite noir atmosphere!
New to me characters - ESG - is an old favorite. Twists aplenty in a devious plot. Definite noir atmosphere!
February 16, 2019
I worked with lawyers throughout my career (without hating them), and come from a family of mystery readers, so when I first discovered Erle Stanley Gardner, it seemed like a match made in heaven. I could drown myself in Perry Mason and be as surprised as Della and Paul at the end of the story. At times, though, a legal thriller was just a little too analytical for me, and then, to my relief, I discovered the rough and tumble world of Donald Lam and Bertha Cool - detective stories just as competently written, with equally surprising endings, by Erle Stanley Gardner under the pen name A. A. Fair.
In "Double Or Quits," private detective Donald Lam has a new client: a doctor requesting help recovering his wife's jewelry stolen from a home safe. We hear that only the doctor had the safe's combination. Coincidentally, an extra-friendly female member of the home staff with whom the doctor played extra-friendly tennis, disappeared the night of the robbery and hasn't returned. Seems simple enough, but with the Doctor employing Donald, things are not as they seem, and it's far more than just a robbery. Murders, pompous insurance agents, material witness warrants, multiple frisky family members - this one is a wild ride for both Donald and the ever-abrasive Bertha.
Originally published in 1941, "Double or Quits" delves into the tortuous implications of insurance payouts two years before the publication of James M McCain's "Double Indemnity" novella (although McCain's short story was ready in the 1930's so the premise may have been developed by Gardner independently). I didn't identify the perps (but then, I didn't read the big fat hint on the back of the 1969 Dell cover, either). Not bad.
In "Double Or Quits," private detective Donald Lam has a new client: a doctor requesting help recovering his wife's jewelry stolen from a home safe. We hear that only the doctor had the safe's combination. Coincidentally, an extra-friendly female member of the home staff with whom the doctor played extra-friendly tennis, disappeared the night of the robbery and hasn't returned. Seems simple enough, but with the Doctor employing Donald, things are not as they seem, and it's far more than just a robbery. Murders, pompous insurance agents, material witness warrants, multiple frisky family members - this one is a wild ride for both Donald and the ever-abrasive Bertha.
Originally published in 1941, "Double or Quits" delves into the tortuous implications of insurance payouts two years before the publication of James M McCain's "Double Indemnity" novella (although McCain's short story was ready in the 1930's so the premise may have been developed by Gardner independently). I didn't identify the perps (but then, I didn't read the big fat hint on the back of the 1969 Dell cover, either). Not bad.
August 7, 2020
This story was entertaining but it had too many characters for me to keep hold of the all of the plot lines. It opens with Donald threatening to quit if Bertha does not make him a partner. She is not at all happy about it but does finally accede. The actual plot involves a husband and wife who have extended family members residing with them as well as several servants. Donald's clever ploys to extract information are entertaining but as I mentioned, it was at times difficult to keep track of everyone.
August 24, 2017
Another incredible Cool & Lam mystery from Erle Stanley Gardner (writing as A.A. Fair in the early 1940's). This one had an unusually intricate and enjoyable plot for the series... filled with advancements in the interpersonal relationships of the three agency members -- Bertha Cool, Donald Lam, and even Elsie Brand. This is a series that just gets more fun as it goes along. No wonder Gardner was so fond of it.
November 25, 2018
Another good tale in the Bertha Cool and Donald Lam series. Bertha has taken up fishing and hooks a case concerning the death of a Doctor, con men the wife's secretary, jewellery and insurance money. Donald finds himself a partner in the detective agency and the heart of this mystery.
Great characters, an intricately woven plot that moves on quickly. A good edition from the Murder Room.
3stars and close to four.
Great characters, an intricately woven plot that moves on quickly. A good edition from the Murder Room.
3stars and close to four.
June 28, 2020
Silly little book. But much fun to read. Quite dated. Like an old movie .. no, not a movie, the short before the old movie.
Cute.
Cute.
July 15, 2022
3.5. One of the early (better) Cool and Alan books. Pretty solid noir P.I. story of that era. Lam is the narrator and has all the action. Cool is there for comic relief.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews