Samuel Dashiell Hammett was an American writer of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. He was also known for his work as a screenwriter and political activist. Among the memorable characters he created are Sam Spade from The Maltese Falcon, Nick and Nora Charles from The Thin Man, and The Continental Op from Red Harvest and The Dain Curse. Additionally, he contributed to the creation of the comic strip character Secret Agent X-9.

Hammett is hailed as one of the finest mystery writers. The New York Times, in his obituary, referred to him as "the dean of the... 'hard-boiled' school of detective fiction." His 1929 novel Red Harvest was included in Time's list of the 100 best English-language novels published from 1923 to 2005. In 1990, the Crime Writers' Association selected three of his five novels for their list of The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time. Five years later, The Maltese Falcon was placed second on The Top 100 Mystery Novels of All Time as chosen by the Mystery Writers of America; Red Harvest, The Glass Key, and The Thin Man were also listed.

His novels and stories had a profound impact on mystery films, contributing significantly to the film noir style.