Crows Can't Count

First published in the US in 1946, ''Crows Can't Count'' offers a fast-paced, pulp-style alternative to Gardner's more formal Perry Mason courtroom dramas. Donald Lam is the primary narrator, a small, highly intelligent ex-lawyer turned brilliant private investigator. Bertha Cool is Lam's aggressive, heavyweight, and deeply money-motivated senior business partner. Shirley Bruce is a beautiful, sultry heiress wrapped in a web of trust funds and hidden motives. The story kicks off when a client named Harry Sharples hires the Cool and Lam agency to investigate why his ward, Shirley Bruce, secretly sold a valuable emerald pendant instead of simply drawing from her trust fund. Bertha senses a quick paycheck, but Donald quickly finds himself tangled in a massive international conspiracy.