Affiliate Disclosure: Links on this page may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Read our affiliate policy
Erle Stanley Gardner Books in Order
Erle Stanley Gardner is a renowned American author and lawyer, celebrated for his captivating detective stories. Under various pseudonyms, including A.A. Fair, Kyle Corning, and Charles M. Green, he has crafted numerous iconic series characters for pulp magazines. Gardner's restless nature and passion for trial work led him to develop innovative strategies in the courtroom, which ultimately influenced his writing. He created the ingenious Lester Leith, a "gentleman thief," and Ken Corning, a crusading lawyer, before bringing forth his most enduring creation, Perry Mason. As the Perry Mason series gained momentum, Gardner shifted his focus from pulp magazines to non-fiction articles on travel, Western history, and forensic science. With over eighty novels featuring Perry Mason, Gardner's legacy as a masterful storyteller continues to captivate readers worldwide.
Bibliography verified: March 2026
Quick Answer
What are all of Erle Stanley Gardner's book series? Erle Stanley Gardner has written 7 book series. The most notable is the Donald Lam & Bertha Cool series.
Complete series list with all books in reading order below.
Book Series by Erle Stanley Gardner
- #1
The Bigger They Come(1939) - #2
The Knife Slipped(1939) - #3
Turn on the Heat(1940) - #4
Gold Comes in Bricks(1940) - #5
Spill the Jackpot(1941) - #6
Double or Quits(1941) - #7
Owls Don't Blink(1942) - #8
Bats Fly at Dusk(1942) - #9
Cats Prowl at Night(1943) - #10
Give 'em the Ax(1944) - #11
Crows Can't Count(1946) - #12
Fools Die on Friday(1947) - #13
Bedrooms Have Windows(1949) - #14Top of the Heap(1952)
- #15
Some Women Won't Wait(1953) - #16
Beware the Curves(1956) - #17
You Can Die Laughing(1957) - #18
Some Slips Don't Show(1957) - #19
The Count of 9(1958) - #20
Pass the Gravy(1959) - #21
Kept Women Can't Quit(1960) - #22
Bachelors Get Lonely(1961) - #23
Shills Can't Cash Chips(1961) - #24Try Anything Once(1962)
- #25
Fish or Cut Bait(1963) - #26
Up for Grabs(1964) - #27
Cut Thin to Win(1965) - #28
Widows Wear Weeds(1966) - #29
Traps Need Fresh Bait(1967) - #30All Grass Isn't Green(1970)
- #1
The D.A. Calls It Murder(1937) - #2
The D.A. Holds a Candle(1938) - #3
The D.A. Draws a Circle(1939) - #4
The D.A. Goes to Trial(1940) - #5
The D. A. Cooks a Goose(1942) - #6
The D.A. Calls a Turn(1944) - #7
The D.A. Breaks a Seal(1946) - #8
The D.A. Takes a Chance(1948) - #9
The D.A. Breaks An Egg(1949)
- #1
The Case of the Turning Tide(1941) - #2
The Case of the Smoking Chimney(1943) - #3
The Case Of The Musical Cow(1960)
- #1
The Court of Last Resort: The True Story of a Team of Crime Experts Who Fought to Save the Wrongfully Convicted(1952) - #2The Hidden Heart of Baja(1962)
- #3The Desert is Yours(1963)
- #4
Hunting the Desert Whale(1963) - #5
Drifting Down Delta(1969) - #6
Hard-Boiled Detectives(1953) - #7
Daring Detectives(1969) - #8
Tantalizing Locked Room Mysteries(1982) - #9
Murder Plus(1992) - #10
The Mammoth Book of Short Spy Novels(1996) - #11
The Oxford Book of American Detective Stories(1996) - #12
Law and Order(1997) - #13The Oxford Book of Detective Stories(2000)
- #14
A Century of Great Suspense Stories(2001) - #15
Murder On The Railways(2003) - #16
Pulp Adventures #37: Nymph in the Keyhole(2020) - #17The Case of the Velvet Claws(1933)
- #18
The Case of the Howling Dog(1934)
- #1The Case of the Velvet Claws(1933)
- #2
The Case of the Sulky Girl(1933) - #3
The Case of the Lucky Legs(1934) - #4The Case of the Howling Dog(1934)
- #5The Case of the Curious Bride(1934)
- #6The Case of the Counterfeit Eye(1935)
- #7The Case of the Caretaker's Cat(1935)
- #8The Case of the Sleepwalker's Niece(1936)
- #9The Case of the Stuttering Bishop(1936)
- #10The Case of the Dangerous Dowager(1937)
- #11
The Case of the Lame Canary(1937) - #12The Case of the Substitute Face(1938)
- #13
The Case of the Shoplifter's Shoe(1938) - #14
The Case of the Perjured Parrot(1939) - #15The Case of the Rolling Bones(1939)
- #16The Case of the Baited Hook(1940)
- #17
The Case of the Silent Partner(1940) - #18The Case of the Haunted Husband(1941)
- #19The Case of the Empty Tin(1941)
- #20The Case of the Drowning Duck(1942)
- #21
The Case of the Careless Kitten(1942) - #22The Case of the Buried Clock(1943)
- #23
The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito(1943) - #24The Case of the Crooked Candle(1944)
- #25
The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde(1944) - #26The Case of the Golddigger's Purse(1945)
- #27The Case of the Half-Wakened Wife(1945)
- #28
The Case of the Borrowed Brunette(1946) - #29The Case of the Fan-Dancer's Horse(1946)
- #30The Case of the Lazy Lover(1947)
- #31The Case of the Lonely Heiress(1948)
- #32The Case of the Vagabond Virgin(1948)
- #33The Case of the Cautious Coquette(1949)
- #34
The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom(1949) - #35The Case of the Negligent Nymph(1950)
- #36The Case of the One-Eyed Witness(1950)
- #37The Case of the Fiery Fingers(1951)
- #38The Case of the Angry Mourner(1951)
- #39The Case of the Moth-Eaten Mink(1952)
- #40
The Case of the Grinning Gorilla(1952) - #41The Case of the Hesitant Hostess(1953)
- #42The Case of the Green-Eyed Sister(1953)
- #43The Case of the Fugitive Nurse(1954)
- #44The Case of the Runaway Corpse(1954)
- #45The Case of the Restless Redhead(1954)
- #46
The Case of the Sun Bather's Diary(1955) - #47The Case of the Glamorous Ghost(1955)
- #48The Case of the Nervous Accomplice(1955)
- #49
The Case of the Terrified Typist(1955) - #50The Case of the Gilded Lily(1956)
- #51The Case of the Demure Defendant(1956)
- #52The Case of The Screaming Woman(1957)
- #53The Case of the Lucky Loser(1957)
- #54The Case of the Daring Decoy(1957)
- #55The Case of the Foot-Loose Doll(1958)
- #56The Case of the Long-Legged Models(1958)
- #57
The Case of the Calendar Girl(1958) - #58The Case of the Singing Skirt(1959)
- #59The Case of the Mythical Monkeys(1959)
- #60The Case of the Deadly Toy(1959)
- #61The Case of the Waylaid Wolf(1960)
- #62The Case of the Duplicate Daughter(1960)
- #63The Case of the Shapely Shadow(1960)
- #64The Case of the Spurious Spinster(1961)
- #65
The Case of the Bigamous Spouse(1961) - #66
The Case of the Reluctant Model(1962) - #67The Case of the Blonde Bonanza(1962)
- #68
The Case of the Ice-Cold Hands(1962) - #69
The Case of the Mischievous Doll(1962) - #70The Case of the Stepdaughter's Secret(1963)
- #71The Case of the Amorous Aunt(1963)
- #72The Case of the Daring Divorcee(1964)
- #73
The Case of the Phantom Fortune(1964) - #74The Case of the Horrified Heirs(1964)
- #75The Case of the Troubled Trustee(1965)
- #76
The Case of the Beautiful Beggar(1965) - #77
The Case of the Worried Waitress(1966) - #78The Case of the Queenly Contestant(1967)
- #79
The Case of the Careless Cupid(1968) - #80
The Case of the Fabulous Fake(1969) - #81The Case of the Fenced-in Woman(1972)
- #82The Case of the Postponed Murder(1973)
- #83
The Case of Too Many Murders (By: Thomas Chastain)(1989) - #84
The Case of the Burning Bequest (By: Thomas Chastain)(1990)
- #1
The Clue of the Forgotten Murder / The Clew of the Forgotten Murder(1942) - #2
This Is Murder(1948) - #3
Dead Men's Letters(1990) - #4The Exploits of the Patent Leather Kid(2010)
- #5
Two Clues: The Clue of the Runaway Blonde / Clue's Don't Count & The Clue of the Hungry Horse(1947) - #6The Amazing Adventures of Lester Leith(1980)
- #7
The Human Zero(1981) - #8
Whispering Sands(1981) - #9Pay Dirt and Other Whispering Sands Stories of Gold Fever and the Western Desert(1983)
- #10
The Adventures Of Paul Pry, Volume 2(1990) - #11
The Blonde in Lower Six Plus 3 Short Novels(1990) - #12
The Adventures Of Paul Pry(1991) - #13Honest Money and Other Short Novels(1991)
- #14
The Danger Zone and Other Stories(2004) - #15The Casebook of Sidney Zoom(2006)
- #1Murder Up My Sleeve(1937)
- #2
The Case of the Backward Mule(1946)
About Erle Stanley Gardner
Erle Stanley Gardner is a renowned American author and lawyer, celebrated for his captivating detective stories. Under various pseudonyms, including A.A. Fair, Kyle Corning, and Charles M. Green, he has crafted numerous iconic series characters for pulp magazines. Gardner's restless nature and passion for trial work led him to develop innovative strategies in the courtroom, which ultimately influenced his writing. He created the ingenious Lester Leith, a "gentleman thief," and Ken Corning, a crusading lawyer, before bringing forth his most enduring creation, Perry Mason. As the Perry Mason series gained momentum, Gardner shifted his focus from pulp magazines to non-fiction articles on travel, Western history, and forensic science. With over eighty novels featuring Perry Mason, Gardner's legacy as a masterful storyteller continues to captivate readers worldwide.
Affiliate Disclosure
As an Amazon Associate, Reading Order Books earns from qualifying purchases. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. This helps us maintain the site and continue providing reading order guides. Read our full disclosure