def file_search(self, query, offset=None, timeout=None):
        params = dict(apikey=self.api_key, query=query, offset=offset)
        try:
            response = requests.get(self.base + 'file/search', params=params, proxies=self.proxies, timeout=timeout)
        except requests.RequestException as e:
            return dict(error=str(e))
        return _return_response_and_status_code(response)