Crows Can't Count [Paperback]

A. A. Fair (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1954

Dell #778 A Donald Lam - Bertha Cool Mystery

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Dell (1954)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000WEDB3C
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,847,640 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The thinking person's detective, November 10, 2004

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Crows Can't Count (Hardcover)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Donald and the police cooperate, much better than the simplistic antagonistic mentality so often portrayed, December 6, 2009

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Crows Can't Count (Paperback)

This Bertha Cool/Donald Lam adventure has Bertha and Donald at odds and Donald working fairly closely with the police. Harry Sharples comes to the agency with a problem; he is one of two managers of a trust for two young people, one male and the other female. The male, Robert Hockley is a gambler and a spendthrift and the female, Shirley Bruce, is a beauty and is described as very pleasant in both outlook and personality. Sharples expresses reservations about a situation that may involve Robert Cameron, the other trustee, being involved in improper behavior.
Donald investigates, quickly and easily completing the task, but not before reaching a state of puzzlement. When Cameron is murdered, Donald cooperates with the police and refuses to do any more work for Sharples despite his willingness to pay top dollar. In combination with Donald's demand that another secretary be hired, this leads to Bertha being furious with Donald and she threatens to dissolve their partnership, an action that Donald welcomes.
Even though the agency is not getting paid, Donald stays on the case, and the trail leads him to Columbia because that is where the trust has some mine holdings. Although he is on his best behavior while in Columbia, Bertha follows him down and her behavior could have been the basis of the book, "The Ugly American." She expects to be treated like royalty and treats the Columbians like ignorant illiterates. Fortunately, Donald manages to smooth things over and reaches the proper conclusion, breaking the case open, solving all mysteries, including the murder.
What I liked most about this story is that it is all brainwork, there is little violence and none directed against Donald. In this case the police were smart, not the pompous idiot portrayal in so many of Gardner's books. Although they are not friends, Donald and Captain Sellers make common cause in the search for the killer.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast and Far Moving Adventure, February 11, 2006

By 

Acute Observer (N. Jersey Shore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crows Can't Count (Paperback)

Crows Can't Count, A.A. Fair

Mr. Harry Sharples came to the Cool & Lam Agency; he was a co-trustee for a trust fund that will terminate when the youngest beneficiary turns 25. One of the heirs, Robert Hockley, is wild and gambles. The other, Shirley Bruce, isn't but refuses to take more than the other. A large part of the estate is in Colombian emerald mines. A jeweler has an emerald pendant for sale. Sharples believes this was part of the estate given to Shirley Bruce. Sharples wants Lam to find out how the jeweler got the pendant, and if any pressure was used (Chapter 1). Chapter 2 describes the preliminary investigation. Lam sees Robert Cameron, the other co-trustee show up. Sharples is surprised and astonished to hear this news (Chapter 3). When Lam and Sharples go to visit Cameron, they find a dead body. They call the police from outside the house (Chapter 4). Sharples tells Sgt. Sam Buda that Cameron had no enemies (Chapter 5). The emerald pendant was there. The police investigate the jeweler and the stockbroker who was visited by Robert Cameron earlier that day (Chapter 8).

Lam visits Dona Grafton, who minded Cameron's crow when Cameron left the country (Chapter 11). An anonymous donor sent Dona a box of chocolates. Lam inspects the crow's nest. Lam learns that Robert Hockley was getting a passport and decides to follow him (Chapter 12). The police bring Lam to Sharples' residence. His office is disordered as from a struggle, and Sharples is missing (Chapter 15). Lam meets George Prenter on the airplane, and hears of the wonderful life and climate in Medellin Colombia (Chapter 16). A visitor surprises Lam and we learn the true facts behind the earlier events (Chapter 17). Lam learns that someone else has been killed (Chapter 19).

Lam and Cool get a telephone call about a prison escape. They will be guarded (Chapter 21). Lam and "the delightful Senora Cool" will be allowed to return to California as soon as possible (Chapter 22). Then Lam visits Dona Grafton and asks questions (Chapter 23). There is amazing testimony from a witness in Chapter 24. Lam places a call to the police so they will get an interpreter and notary public. This written statement will convict a businessman of fraud, and affect the wealth in a trust. Lam explains the facts behind the scandal (Chapter 25). [Do you remember the story of King Solomon and the disputed child?] The pieces of the jigsaw puzzle fall into place, just as the apple falls close to its tree (Chapter 26). One benefit of this story is the description of the trip to Colombia.