After a series of unsatisfying jobs, Dashiell Hammett became an agent for Pinkerton's National Detective Agency in 1915. Hammett enjoyed the thrill of the sometimes dangerous job and worked, as his health permitted, on and off as a Pinkerton detective for the next seven years. When poor health forced him to end his employment at Pinkerton's, Hammett began writing detective stories, using his real-life experience as source material. After becoming a leading contributor to the popular magazines of the period, Hammett turned his attention to writing novels. His third novel, The Maltese Falcon, remains to this day one of the most widely recognized and respected works of detective fiction.
The rise of the private eye. The private investigator in America began with Pinkerton's National Detective Agency, the largest private law enforcement agency in the United States. The agency was founded in 1850 by Allan Pinkerton, who had formerly worked as a Chicago policeman. Pinkerton invented the trademark of his business, the unblinking eye and the motto, "We never sleep," which eventually led to Pinkerton's agents becoming known as "private eyes."
The Pinkerton agents filled a gap between the federal government's Secret Service, a small department at the time, and local police forces.
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