 He is considered to be a founder of the hard-boiled school of detective fiction, along with Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain and other "Black Mask" writers.The protagonist of his novels, Philip Marlowe, like Hammett's Sam Spade, is considered by some to be synonymous with "private detective".Both were played in films by Humphrey Bogart, whom many consider to be the quintessential Marlowe.