True Detective Stories; From the Archives of the Pinkertons (1894) The Pinkertons were known for tirelessly tracking criminals, researching every aspect of the crime scene and criminal behavior. Dashiell Hammett drew upon his Pinkerton experiences when he wrote his hard boiled detective tales. Moffett's 'true life' stories (most including bank or train robberies) -are thrillers. Through The Wall (1909) A detective stops by Notre Dame and meets a woman who mutters a few sentences to him. He turns pale and cancels a trip to Brazil. Meanwhile, a celebrity is killed in a locked room mystery. Are the two incidents connected?