Erskine Childers is renowned for a singular masterpiece that forever altered the landscape of English literature: The Riddle of the Sands: A Record of Secret Service Recently Achieved (1903). This novel, his only foray into fiction, established the foundation for a new and captivating literary genre—the espionage adventure thriller. Upon its initial publication in England, the novel garnered widespread acclaim, a success that has persisted through numerous editions and reprints, including its first American appearance in 1915. John Buchan, himself a significant figure in the genre, lauded it in 1926 as "the best story of adventure published in the last quarter of a century." Childers's work opened the door for future classics such as Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent (1907), Buchan’s own The Thirty-nine Steps (1915), and W. Somerset Maugham’s Ashenden: Or, The British Agent (1928), influencing a lineage of espionage thrillers penned by eminent authors like Graham Greene, Ian Fleming, Len Deighton, and John le Carré.

Childers's innovation lay not just in his captivating narrative but in the unique structure of the novel. He crafted an elaborate pretense, suggesting the manuscript was an authentic account of two young men on a daring sailing expedition in German coastal waters. In the guise of an editor, Childers claimed to have stumbled upon the account and felt compelled to publish it as a warning to the public about potential threats to national security. This narrative strategy served a dual purpose: it engaged readers with its thrilling storyline while subtly pushing for changes in British defense policy. Childers realized that the adventure-story format could wield more influence over public opinion than traditional political discourse, a strategy that has persisted among espionage novelists ever since.