''A Firing Offense'' is a 1992 crime novel and the debut from author

George Pelecanos George P. Pelecanos (born February 18, 1957) is an American author. Many of his 20 books are in the genre of detective fiction and set primarily in his hometown of Washington, D.C. He is also a film and television producer and a television writ ...

. It is set in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and focuses on marketing executive Nick Stefanos as he investigates the disappearance of a colleague. It is the first of several Pelecanos novels to feature the character and the first of a trilogy with Stefanos as the main character. The other books in this series are ''

Nick's Trip ''Nick's Trip'' is a 1993 crime novel from author George Pelecanos. It is set in Washington D.C. and focuses on bartender Nick Stefanos as he investigates the disappearance of an old friend's wife and the murder of another friend. It is the second ...

'' and ''

Down by the River Where the Dead Men Go ''Down by the River Where the Dead Men Go'' is a 1995 book by novelist George Pelecanos. It is the third book of a trilogy with the same protagonist, Nick Stefanos. In a scene in the movie "Shallow Hal," the main character is seen reading this ...

''.

Plot introduction

Nick Stefanos George P. Pelecanos (born February 18, 1957) is an American author. Many of his 20 books are in the genre of detective fiction and set primarily in his hometown of Washington, D.C. He is also a film and television producer and a television wri ...

is a marketing executive for electrical goods chain Nutty Nathan's. When a stock boy from the company disappears he is convinced to locate the boy by his grandfather.

Explanation of the novel's title

Stefanos is fired from his job at Nutty Nathan's but the reason for his dismissal does not become clear until the end of the book.

Characters

Nick Stefanos is a marketing executive and one time process server. He works for a chain of electrical goods stores. He was once a floor salesman. He remains friends with his old sales colleague Johnny McGinnes. Both Stefanos and McGinnes drink heavily and abuse recreational drugs.

Major themes

The novel is concerned with substance abuse both by the main characters and facilitated by the drug distributors.

Literary significance and reception

The novel was positively compared to

Charles Willeford Charles Ray Willeford III (January 2, 1919 – March 27, 1988) was an American writer. An author of fiction, poetry, autobiography, and literary criticism, Willeford is best known for his series of novels featuring hardboiled detective fiction, ...

and Daniel Woodrell by a reviewer. The reviewer commented that the plot was perfunctory and that the novel was more concerned with examining the lives of the salesmen. He praised the book for drawing such interest from a seemingly mundane profession. The reviewer commented on Pelecanos frequent use of music references. The series as a whole has been described as tightly plotted with "intricacies to rival Hammett or

Chandler Chandler or The Chandler may refer to: * Chandler (occupation), originally head of the medieval household office responsible for candles, now a person who makes or sells candles * Ship chandler, a dealer in supplies or equipment for ships Arts ...

Footnotes

1992 American novels Novels by George Pelecanos Novels set in Washington, D.C. {{1990s-novel-stub