Classic Baldacci! If you've liked his other books you'll like this one, too. The 6:20 man is enjoyable as an easy and fun read. It moves quickly, and I especially appreciated the political and financial angle. The Camel Club series is one of my favorites (Archer was not) and have a feeling I will continue to enjoy the Travis Devine series, as well. Four stars.

The 6:20 Man is another compelling read by David Baldacci. Travis Devine is a new character, a man with intelligence and a seemingly super human strength. The story is complicated but all comes together in an unexpected ending.

Six days a week Travis Devine takes the 6:20 train into Manhattan for a job that he hates. A former West Point graduate and military officer, he considers this penance for his involvement in the death of an officer. Each day as the train pauses on its’ journey, a bikini clad woman can be seen through a gap in the hedges of an estate. It is the home of Brad Cowel, The owner of the investment firm where Devine works long hours in a competitive atmosphere. Outside relationships between employees are forbidden, but for a while he had been dating Sara Ewes. One morning, as he prepares for his day he receives an untraceable email stating that Sara is dead. Her body has been found in a closet on one of the office’s upper floors.

Trouble begins when the security tapes are manipulated to make Devine look guilty of the murder. He is also approached by Emerson Campbell, a former military officer who now heads an office for special projects. Something is going on behind the scenes at the investment firm and there are questions regarding Cowel’s source of financing for the firm. Campbell needs an inside man to investigate. One of the floors at the office is not accessible to staff members and Devine has to find a way in. It is the key to the investigation. Devine finds an ally in Michelle Montgomery, the woman in the bikini, Cowel’s mistress.. When a second employee is murdered Devine believes that Cowel is involved. It is not the last murder, but not all of them can be tied to Cowel.

Devine shares a home with three roommates. Will is a hacker from Russia, Helen is a law student and Jill runs her own on-line dating company. When Devine receives e-mails related to the murders, he turns to his roommates for help. The police are concentrating on Devine as a suspect. Someone tied to the firm’s clandestine activities is out to stop him and Campbell is holding the event from his time in the military as a threat to have him jailed if he does not find results. Time is running out and he may be next on the murderer’s list. David Baldacci keeps the tension high and gives you one final twist that you will never see coming. I would like to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing this book for my review.

Travis Devine is haunted by a particular memory of his service in the Mid East. To punish himself for what he sees as his transgressions, he obtained his MBA when he returned home, and now works 16-hour days on Wall Street doing financial analysis, work he abhors. No one working at Cowl and Comely is happy about it, but there's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, if they work hard enough and wait long enough. So Travis works.

But when a co-worker who is several steps up the ladder from him apparently commits suicide, Travis is suspicious -- and a bit heartbroken, as he'd been at least a little in love with the woman. His initial inclination to ask questions is goosed when the NYPD blackmails him into doing an investigation into whether Cowl and Comely is dirty, and whether that had anything to do with Sara Ewes' death. Soon Travis is exploring his boss's mansion and enjoying the company of the boss's girlfriend when he's not dodging bad guys or trying to figure out what's going on.

The puzzle is convoluted and doesn't really play fair with the reader in the sense that one would expect a classic mystery to do, but that's not the point of this book: it's a thriller, not a mystery, and boy, does it thrill. This is a bread-and-butter sort of Baldacci, not his best, not his worst, just a great book to read in the sun with an umbrella drink at your elbow.

The listing of Baldacci's works in the book refers to this as a stand-alone, but I'd sure like to know what happens to Travis Devine from here. I'm hoping Baldacci reconsiders!

Review posted to LibraryThing, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Goodreads.

David Baldacci is a prolific author, writing series and standalone thrillers. Unlike certain other best-selling authors (no names. no packdrill) Baldacci is a very good writer. My favorite of his series is the one with John Puller,, followed by the Memory Man and the Camel Club. I have also enjoyed many of his other series and standalones. I am a big fan.

I don't like spoilers so I won't give any. This book is excellent; suspenseful and convoluted, tension-filled and well-paced. Typical Baldacci, yay! Travis Devine looks to be one kind of man, but in reality is quite another. To all appearances Devine is a faceless minion grubbing in the finance industry, but he is also an ex-Army Ranger Captain, a graduate of West Point, with a steel-trap mind and guts to spare.

This was such an enjoyable book. I do hope that this is the first of a series, as Travis Devine is too good a character to waste. A reader can always depend on David Baldacci to write a good thriller, and he doesn't let his readers down with "The 6:20 Man." This is really good, you will enjoy reading it.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC

I became a fan of Baldacci after watching Absolute Power. A thriller about the President with his story and Clint Eastwood. He’s perfected his version of the thriller. A little slow burn to start, action, subtle twists and misdirection to keep you guessing.

It centers around an ex-military man barely treading water on the outside. There is so much going on here. There is some things from his past resurfacing, financial crimes, murder and so much more all woven together in a seamless way.

Every time I thought I had it figured out, something shifted and alas I was wrong again. It did get a little far-fetched at the end, but that did not make me regret reading the book or hoping this is the first in a new series.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

David Baldacci's average latest, "The 6:10 Man", centers on former Army ranger, Travis Devine, who now works in high finance in NYC. Travis is blackmailed into helping in an investigation of the financial firm where he works and a dead body that's found on the floor of a usually closed off area of the building. Travis finds himself the chief suspect in the murder and beings to uncover a possible money laundering scheme. Both investigations will lead to more murders that will put Travis in the center as a target as a possible scapegoat or victim.

There are familiar elements here that Baldacci's readers have come to expect such as fight scenes where Travis twice successfully takes groups of men sent to take him out, A beautiful woman of mystery that Travis has an affair with then later can be possibly part of the illegal dealings that he's investigating, and obvious suspects that turn out to be false leads.

Yes, it's a formula, but Baldacci does it well. The investigation into the Travis's firm leads to some surprising dirty deeds. Baldacci as always comes up with a possible situation that can possibly happen.

The unfortunate part is the dated way the sexual politics of the novel are handled. There's sexual tryst that happens right there in the office, but yet no investigation from their HR department. Also another female employee is subjected to help deliver a message by code based on the bikini she wears. This happens outside the office, but it's difficult to believe any self-respecting female employee would take part.

I will not reveal the ending of this book, but I was shocked that a reliable storyteller such as Baldacci would come up conclusion is based on an stereotype that is now unacceptable by today's standards.

David Baldacci's "The 6:20 Man" isn't his worst book, but I wonder how long it was sitting in his desk draw before he decided to publish it.

David Baldacci has written another blockbuster that doesn’t let you go until the very end. He definitely has to start a new series featuring Travis Devine!!

Ex-Army Ranger Travis Devine takes the same train to work in NYC every day: the 6:20. He is an analyst for Cowl and Comely, along with many people who are referred as "burners" or interns, who work long hours for little pay to make sure they are offered a permanent job. His train takes him past Cowl's home every morning, where a bikini-clad woman sits by the pool. She becomes more important to the story later.

Then Travis receives an email saying that his former girlfriend, Sara Ewes, has hanged herself. He is the only employee who receives it. Sara was an employee of Cowl and Comely who hanged herself in an office closet at the company. Travis wants to investigate whether it's suicide or murder, but is stymied at every turn.

There are so many twists and turns in this story that will keep you guessing until the very end. This is a first-rate thriller from a master.

3.5 stars - rounded up

It's been a long time since I've read a David Baldacci book, and I'm kind of wondering why I've waited so long to pick another one of his books up. I always loved his ability to take real people and entwine them into a suspenseful and thrilling storyline. Travis is a complex character with a lot of emotional baggage weighing him down, yet he manages to be sympathetic and likable - a great character for future books, if Baldacci is interested in developing him further. This book has a secondary cast of hodge-podge characters that are (mostly) all likeable and intriguing. It's a suspenseful story without being too over the top, with enough twists and turns to grab your interest and keep you guessing, but not so complicated it can't be followed. If this is your first Baldacci book, it's a great introduction to his writing. And if you're already a fan, I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Every day , Travis Devine puts on a cheap suit, grabs his faux-leather briefcase, and boards the 6:20 commuter train to Manhattan, where he works as an entry-level analyst at the city’s most prestigious investment firm, Cowl and Comely. The train always stops in the same place - where all of the men are treated to a view of Brad Cowl's Mansion and his latest girlfriend in her bikini, getting ready for an early morning swim. What a perfect way to start the morning. Then one morning Devine’s tedious routine is shattered by an anonymous email: "She is dead. "Sara Ewes, Devine’s coworker and former girlfriend, has been found hanging in a storage room of his office building—presumably a suicide, at least for now—prompting the NYPD to come calling on him. If that wasn’t enough, before the day is out, Devine receives another ominous visit, a confrontation that threatens to dredge up grim secrets from his past in the army unless he participates in a clandestine investigation into his firm. This treacherous role will take him from the impossibly glittering lives he once saw only through a train window, to the darkest corners of the country’s economic halls of power . . . where something rotten lurks. And apart from this high-stakes conspiracy, there’s a killer out there with their own agenda, and Devine is the bull’s-eye.
This book was outstanding. It may be my new favorite by this author. It was non-stop action from start to finish, and it kept you guessing until the very end. I would love to see more books featuring former Army ranger Travis Devine....he made an excellent protaganist. If you are a fan of thrillers then you need to check this out. You will not regret it!

Travis Devine left his position in the US military to work on Wall Street. Although he has won the respect and affection of his family for returning to the private sector at Cowl & Comely, Travis does not enjoy his work. and is not driven by profit. While Travis has the skills and drive to succeed, he doesn't share the burning desire for money that motivates his colleagues.

Travis already has some fleeting contact with Cowl as the most junior associate. Like most men on the 6:20 am train from White Plains to Grand Central, watches Cowl's girl friend lying out by his pool. The train has an unobstructed view of Cowl's back yard and his pool and the daily glimpses of a beautiful woman in a bikini are the highlight of the shared commute.

When a senior colleague and early love interest of Travis is discovered dead on the office premises, Travis is driven to investigate. His investigation leads him to the head of their company. A shadowy organization that claims to be government sponsored forces Travis to work for them and he must find a way to reclaim his independence while solving a growing number of murders at Cowl & Comely.

I usually enjoy reading this author, but this book did not grab me like his usually do. There is a great deal of discussion about finance and money matters, topics that do not interest me, which is probably why I didn't care for this book. It does have an interesting murder arc, and the writing is excellent. Others may find it a good read. Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing an ARC.

Travis, an entry-level drone in New York’s world of high finance and investments, keeps plugging away at the daily grind… until the day he gets an email saying simply “she is dead.” One of his co-workers has apparently committed suicide, but how does the sender of the email know about it so quickly? Travis is visited by the NYPD and by someone threatening to expose secrets from his time in the Army that he would rather stay buried. The resulting investigations take him to the mansions of the ultra wealthy to the seedier side of the financial world, Travis has to determine what is going on, and who is behind it, before he becomes yet another casualty.

This is a stand alone book by one of my favorite thriller authors, and wow, what a ride he takes his readers on! The action begins very early in the book, and it doesn’t let up until the final pages. At first, I wasn’t sure I liked Travis, the main character, but he – and his predicament – grew on me as the story continued and I got to know more about him. Then “all” I had to do was figure out the good guys vs. the bad guys. It wasn’t until near the end of the book that it finally started to become clear. The identity of the guilty party was a total surprise, as was the motive.

I’m not at all familiar with high finance and investment companies that feature so prominently in this book, so a lot of the situations here were totally foreign to me, and it was certainly enlightening. I liked some of the primary characters, was disgusted by others, and felt sorry for still others. I wouldn’t mind seeing some of these characters again, but given how this story ends, I don’t see how it could be made into a series. I will definitely look for the author’s next book, whether it be from one of his current series, or another standalone.

Overall, this was an exciting read! My biggest complaint is that not everything is resolved as the story ends. I imagine this will be the first book in a new series? Every morning Travis rides the 6:20 train to Manhattan to work at Cowl & Comely investment bank. Travis hate his job, but took the position to make his father proud of him. He has a muddied background as an Army Ranger with comes back to haunt him. Each day he and the riders on the 6:20 watch a lovely young woman sunbathing by a pool—the only highlight to the tedium of the ride. The story is complex with several twists and turns. Travis grew on me as the story progressed. If there’s a sequel, I’ll read it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The 6:20 Man is a complex contemporary murder mystery set in New York. Featured is a former military veteran, Travis Devine, now making a living as an analyst, of some sort, in a large financial institution that appears to be making massive amounts of money for its owner. And then one day Devine is asked to assist the government, which has questions about that business, in learning more about its' questionable business practices.

From that point forward, Devine is deeply involved in a whirlwind of an investigation, which includes murders, romance, strange roommates, and a host of dangerous actors. Devine is at the center of every element of this novel and he is a remarkable character who you will want to learn more about in the future. Once I started reading this novel, I could not stop until I found out what happened and I believe that you will feel the same way.

The past and present collide for Travis when Sara, his ex-girl friend is found hanging in their offices on Wall Street. A West Point grad and ex-Army Ranger, he's now using his MBA to do work which is less rewarding in some ways but, he thought. safer. Not so much. The NYPD thinks he should be a suspect in Sara's death but more dangerously, the USG wants him to investigate shady dealings at the firm. There's action, there's conspiracy. there are topical issues. It's all a bit over the top and might be a tad familiar readers of the genre but Travis is likable. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good travel or beach book.

Name of Book: The 6:20 Man
Author: David Baldacci
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: July 12, 2022
My Rating: 3.4 Stars

This is David Baldacci novel #27 for me.
Who’s a fan? Yep! That would be me! My favorite characters are John Puller, Will Robie, Amos Decker~ The Memory Man and Atlee Pine.

Our story features thirty-two year old, West Point grad, former Ranger and Army Captain, Travis Devine who now daily boards the 6:20 commuter train to Manhattan and sit in the third row window seat on starboard side. He currently is working as an analyst at Cowl and Comely, a prestigious investment firm.
Then one morning his life is shattered by an email: She is dead.

Sara Ewes, Devine’s coworker and former girlfriend (although employees are not permit to date), has been found hanging in a storage room of his office building. If that isn’t bad enough, he receives a visit, that unless he is will to participate in a secret investigation old Army secrets will be revealed.
Now the pleasant lives he imagined through the window on the 6:20 train ride, there is a killer who has Travis Devine as a target.

Want to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form. Publishing Release Date scheduled for July12, 2022

I was so excited to read a new book by one of my favorite authors, David Baldacci. I'm hoping the 6:20 Man is the first in a new series. The main character of the book is a highly decorated ex-Army Ranger named Travis Devine. Travis has left the Army and taken a job as a rookie financial analyst at a very competitive and successful investment firm Cowl and Comely. Travis takes the 6:20 train into Manhattan six days a week as only a handful of rookies will be moving on after their first year. He likes to get in early to get a jump on the day.

Everything is going pretty smoothly for Travis, except he is only doing this job as penance for something that happened in the Army. He's actually miserable, but thinks he deserves to be. His father has never been more proud of Travis as he hated him joining the Army and never cared how decorated his son was. Travis receives an anonymous email one day telling him that the mentor for his recruiting class and one time girlfriend was found dead by an apparent suicide in the office building. The problem is Travis knows Sara Ewes would never kill herself. The NYPD suspects Travis may have had something to do with Sara's murder once it is determined that she did not kill herself.

Travis has to find out who is trying to set him up and who murdered his friend as things get more complicated with people ending up dead. The suspects are many and the search for the murderer is complicated, but Travis has some people he can lean on for help.....or does he? This is a thrilling read that I thoroughly enjoyed and kept me turning the pages. I'm hoping this is the first in a new series because I want more Travis Devine adventures! This book comes out on July 12 and should be one of summer's hot reads. I would like to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced copy of the book.

Travis Devine is a U.S. Army veteran - graduate of West Point and the elite Ranger school - who left the service for somewhat personal reasons. He now works as an analyst at a prestigious investment firm in Manhattan. Every morning he boards the 6:20 commuter train to from Mount Cisco to the city. And each morning, the train inexplicably stops where he can view the mansion of Bradley Cowl, billionaire head of the firm where he works, and see a beautiful woman sitting at this pool. His world gets turned upside down when one morning he receives an email that just says: She is dead.  She is Sara Ewes, another employee of the investment firm, and for a short while, his girlfriend. She is found hanging in a utility closet at the firm, an apparent suicide. But all is not as it seems, and the NYPD is zeroing in on Travis when the death is ruled a murder. And then Travis is pulled back toward his military roots when a senior officer asks him to look into the workings of the investment firm (which apparently has some ties to foreign interests that might be contrary to the good of the country). As the deaths mount, Devine must sort out friend and foe. There are many suspects that Travis and his allies must sort through (hint: there are many twists and turns) and there is plenty of action to keep you turning the page. This is shown as a standalone novel by Baldacci (who is clearly at the top of his game these days), but I will not be surprised if this isn’t the start of a new series. My thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel in exchange for my review.