A novelist who parlayed his experience as a Pinkerton operative into a series of taut, precisely observed detective fictions that revolutionized the genre, Dashiell Hammett is perhaps best recalled for his novel "The Thin Man" that was developed into a popular movie series of the 1930s and 40s starring William Powell and Myrna Loy, and his tightly plotted "The Maltese Falcon" which formed the basis of John Huston's 1941 classic. In 1931 Hammett was engaged by Paramount to write original screen stories but his sole screenwriting credit came in 1943 with the film version of longtime companion
When father switched political parties, family forced to move from Maryland farm; briefly lived in Philadelphia before settling in Baltimore (date approximate)
1915
Accepted work at the local branch of the Pinkerton Detective Agency in Baltimore
While employed by Pinkerton, traveled the USA on jobs
1918
Enlisted in the Army during WWI; contracted tuberculosis and discharged on a disability pension
Returned to work at Pinkerton; eventually sent to Spokane, Washington in 1920
