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A Firing Offense (Five Star Paperback)
 
 

A Firing Offense (Five Star Paperback) (Paperback)

by George P. Pelecanos (Author) "Torn lottery tickets and hot dog wrappers-the remnants of Georgia Avenue Day-blew across the strip ..." (more)
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Serpent's Tail; New Ed edition (26 Aug 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1852427159
  • ISBN-13: 978-1852427153
  • Product Dimensions: 19 x 12.7 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 49,897 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
George P Pelecanos has forged a deserved reputation for mixing the classical with the new: hard drama and atmosphere along with a plentiful supply of pop culture references and a dash of social conscience. His creation of hard-livin' Washington DC appliance salesman Nick Stefanos is a welcome addition to the varied pantheon of put-upon gumshoes. Technically, Nick isn't even a P.I, he just happens to be very good at acting like one. Who better, then, to head the search for missing stockboy Jimmy Broda, recently fired for bad attendance and last seen in the company of two dangerous drug-dealers? For what is essentially a thin tale, Pelecanos superbly executes the splendid irony that being a private eye will offer Nick more satisfaction than the rampant corruption that occurs in the legitimate world of retail. With A Firing Offense, Pelecanos has wonderfully laid the groundwork for what would become the staple of his later works, a perfect lure for both existing fans and newcomers. Slight, but engaging, this opening gambit oozes with the potential that is now routinely consolidated. --Danny Graydon

The Washington Post
'A contemporary classic...Pelecanos is a fresh, new, utterly hardboiled voice.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Torn lottery tickets and hot dog wrappers-the remnants of Georgia Avenue Day-blew across the strip. Read the first page
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

A Firing Offense (Five Star Paperback)
69% buy the item featured on this page:
A Firing Offense (Five Star Paperback) 4.0 out of 5 stars (2)
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7% buy
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Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars So sharp you'll cut yourself............., 18 May 2001
By A Customer
Reading first novels in retrospect can sometimes prove a little disappointing - not in this case.

The first outing from George P. Pelecanos carries all the hallmarks of the author's later work - a wonderful ear for dialogue, an eye for absurd humour among the villany on show, flawless period detailing, and strong geographical and historical foundations. For once, the city of Washington, and its greek and african-american communities don't feel like background colour - they are an integral part of the characters and their lives, and the story could not exist outside their frame of reference.

The plot is a fairly straightforward attempt by advertising manager and former process server Nick Stefanos to find a missing fellow electronics store employee, leading to the discovery of drug distibution bankrolled from on high, and a suitably bleak and bloody climax, but none the worse for that. Our hero is sufficiently flawed to engage our interest, without descending into the bitterness and self-parody seen in some popular series, and he is supported by a backdrop of characters who also manage to successfully run the gauntlet between amusing and grotesque.

But its the richness of observation of biography and setting that reels you in - truly, God is in the details....... Beware however - you may find yourself revisiting parts of your record collection you thought long buried.

Cliche though it is, I'm afraid this made me go out and work my way sytematically through everything else he's written, and, good as this is, its some way behind his later work. Dip in a toe with this, and I suspect more than a few others will find themselves immersed in the deep water with me.

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4.0 out of 5 stars A Glory hole of quality, 6 Jul 2008
By Mr. P. Hobson "Paul Hobson" (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I admit it took a little effort to get into this book but once I got past the first two chapters I was hooked. In Nick Stefanos we have the unlikeliest of private-eyes but the character is only finding his feet and really only starts to develop in this book. Read more Pelecanos and you won't be dissapointed as Stefanow really develops. I keep reading books that are recommended to me by the back covers of other books I like (make sense?) and they are usually wrong wrong wrong. This one was right!
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