Before there was Sam Spade hunting for the elusive black bird in The Maltese Falcon or Nick and Nora Charles concocting their first martinis in The Thin Man, there was the Continental Op. This character, who patrolled the gritty streets of early 20th century San Francisco on behalf of the Continental Detective Agency, was the brainchild of Dashiell Hammett, who drew from his own experiences as a Pinkerton operative to add a touch of authenticity to his creation. These initial five stories debuted in the Black Mask magazine in 1923, setting a new standard for detective fiction. - Summary by Winston Tharp