I am not writing a book or anything, just wondering where the typical hard boiled stereotypes come from and how do they compare to reality. Lost cats, unfaithful spouses, priceless antiques getting lost and the bodies piling up...I would also be happy to hear anything about the literary history of the genre and how it ties back into the real world. Thanks in advance to anyone who answers!:)
There's definitely more to be said on this specific topic, but there's some good answers on similar topics - specifically, /u/petite-acorn on the Pinkerton detective agency in the 19th century, and /u/mikedash on the phenomenon of the hotel detective. Alternatively, with the literary history of the genre, Interesting Inquirer /u/chikindiner asked a similar question over at /r/AskLiteraryStudies and got some good responses.