A Firing Offense [Hardcover]

David Ignatius (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 29, 1997

What's the worst mistake a journalist could make? Acclaimed novelist and award-winning journalist David Ignatius has written an authentic news thriller about a reporter who dances too closely with his sources in the CIA.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Here's a thriller that provides plenty of exercise for the brain as well as the viscera, as Ignatius ingeniously explores what happens when a reporter crosses the line between information and covert action. Looking into the secret life of a respected colleague, hotshot journalist Eric Truell finds a much better story than he expected--and a huge moral dilemma, which gets bigger the more he digs. Ignatius's equally smart and exciting The Bank of Fear is available in paperback.

From Library Journal

In this crisply written, fast-paced espionage thriller, an up-and-coming journalist finds he has made a Faustian bargain when he takes information from the CIA. New York Mirror foreign correspondent Eric Truell's expose of French governmental corruption leads him to probe the dynamics of power behind a pending French-Chinese communications contract?a deal that could mean the loss of billions for American businesses. Truell's CIA sources use their information to lure the ambitious but naive reporter into playing their own dangerous game in the murky new world order, where real power resides not with governments but with private enterprise. Ignatius (The Bank of Fear, LJ 6/1/94) brings to this novel his own experience as a reporter and editor. The writing is clean and straightforward, and the situations both in the newsroom and on assignment ring true. Altogether, an exciting book; for general collections.
-?Linda Lee Landrigan, New York
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 333 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1st edition (April 29, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679448608
• ISBN-13: 978-0679448600
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,841 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful surprise of a thriller., November 11, 1998

By 

Greg Iles ([e-mail]) (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Firing Offense (Mass Market Paperback)

As a thriller author myself, I read a tremendous amount of "the competition." I had seen some media people discussing this novel on television when the hardcover came out, and was not suffienctly intrigued to buy it. But I picked it up in paperback last night and read it in two sittings. First, Ignatius's writing ability is far above average. With seeming ease, he writes with great economy and insight. A FIRING OFFENSE is bare of the cheap devices usually employed by thriller writers (in fact, it hardly even contains violence) yet I could not turn the pages fast enough. Ignatius handles the moral complexities with a sure hand, reminding me a bit of vintage LeCarre. The accumulated wisdom of an international journalist also feels genuine, and adds greatly to the novel. The fact that this novel did not break out is a sad commentary on the taste of the general readership in this country. Best of luck to Mr. Ignatius, who should have a bright literary future.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good spy story and--more unusual--a good newsroom novel., April 9, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: A Firing Offense (Hardcover)

It's hard to capture what journalists do for a living. Much of it seems dull and a lot of it is also silly--and yet journalism is fascinating to people inside and outside the business. Not since Tony Hillerman's A Fly on the Wall has a reporter written a book that so authentically captures the texture of reporting--the thrills, the pain, and, most of all, the moral ambiguity. My favorite moment in the book is when the reporter-protagonist, having gotten admission to a fancy restaurant where diners are being held hostage by terrorists, thinks to ask one of the diners what he had been eating when the gunmen burst in. I used to be a reporter and I can imagine myself asking that question, knowing it seems silly--and knowing also that small details like that one make or break a piece of reporting.

At the same time, Ignatius has created a completely believable spy story, with genetic engineering, Chinese disinformation, and CIA incompetence blended into an original and exciting brew. Even the obligatory sex scenes are good!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very readable, intelligent thriller, December 26, 2004

By 

Bookskinny (Alpharetta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Firing Offense (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was listed a few years ago on a respected reviewers "best bets" and although I recorded the title for reading at some future time it was only recently that I remembered the title again while browsing and decided to give it a try. In the book, Ignatius has captured the essence of a young reporter's conflict between writing a good and important story and compromising his beliefs. The development of the central character, Eric Truell, is masterful and the inside look at the workings of the intelligence community is fascinating. The plot moves quickly and keeps you interested. I particularly like the way in which the chapters and the scenes flow which makes the reader want to continue reading even beyond bedtime! I recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers and adventure but is looking for something a little bit different than your typical international espionage fiction. It's very readable and worth a try!