Although I consider David Baldacci one of the most readable authors who I enjoy, The 6:20 Man isn't one of his best works. Although I thought the main character Travis had great possibilities, the plot had so many storylines it was easy to get bogged down. Yes, I didn't figure out the "bad guy" until the very end; but it was a long time coming. Maybe I'm spoiled by the Memory Man series - one of the best I've read.

This book was absolutely ridiculous! It reminded me of a murder on the orient express type of story. There was just too many coincidences and crazy awful people to really dig in. However, I really liked it, it held my interest to the end and that is really all i'm looking for in an entertaining book. I always judge a book by how late it kept me up at night reading and while I didn't miss too much sleep, I did stay up later than I normally would. I received an advance copy and honestly would not have been disappointed if I had purchased it on my own. I enjoy Baldacci's writing and consistently read his work. 4 stars / lost a little sleep staying late reading and would have purchased on my own. If you want to be entertained on the beach this summer......Look no further.

For the first time reading this author I didn't care about theme not any of the characters. Sadly I just couldn't get into this one. Didn't feel like the author's voice
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

It took me about 1/3 of the way thru the book before it really grabbed my attention and to like Travis. The beginning is slow with extensive, repetitive details and many characters. Once it got going, I could not put it down. The book is full of twists. Several I saw coming, but there were surprises. Overall, a good read for those looking for a suspenseful book with twists and turns. II suspect there will be more books with some of hers characters. and would have given it more stars had it not been a struggle get thru the first 1/3 of the book. Thank you for the opportunity to read an advance copy for an honest review.

6:20 Man is an exciting thriller with Travis Devine retired army making his way to a job he hates on the 6:20 AM train. But something is amiss at and a friend of his is found dead in a janitors closet. Travis has received a cryptic email and is digging deep into it.
He's going to get pulled into an investigation he never expected with a government agency that is housed in a windowless room. What is going on and why has he been thrown into the deep end to find the answers.
This is a great read full of twists you didn't see coming up to the very end.

This did seem a little slow at the beginning but if you stay with it it gets better.

Thank you #NetGalley #GrandCentralPublishing for this ARC

This book concerns a former Army Ranger who chooses to work in the work of finance and ends up over his head when a dear friend is murdered. This book is a combination of the movie Wall Street meets Absolute Power, the first novel this author published back in 1996. This novel deals with the high stakes of the business of finance, the cocky suits and secrets and high pressure that comes with the environment of this type of job in New York City. This a little different for Baldacci since it's a little younger cast of characters, most of them are in there 20's and 30's which makes the novel an unique experience from him, since Baldacci's characters in general feature characters a decade older. The city of New York is well-described in the novel, the hub, the business and the trains give you a You Are There Feel, unlike some thrillers that are good on characters but light on vivid locations.

As a life-long Baldacci fan, I give it a 5 star review.

I could not stop turning the pages. A great read. And thus, Baldacci has introduced a new character - and given the ending, I fully expect to be reading more about Travis Devine’s adventures. So grateful to have had an early crack at this. Baldacci still,keeps my interest!

Wow, that was REALLY good. I have always been a Baldacci fan, but that was on a whole new level. Start to finish, non-stop excitement. I loved the characters, I loved the twists and turns, and I loved the storyline. I will say the main storyline lost some muster but it didn't take away from the story. I am really hoping that this story turns into a series because I think it has a lot of promise.

Thanks to David Baldacci, Netgalley, and Grand Central Publishing for providing an Advanced Reading Copy.

David Baldacci’s latest thriller set for release on July 12, The 6:20 Man, is another fine offering from this master of the form. The story, which derives its name from the time in the morning the main protagonist catches a train into the city, revolves around a former Army Ranger named Travis Devine who now works as a financial analyst for a top Wall Street powerhouse firm. He hates his new job but soldiers on, pardon the pun, mostly as a self-inflicted punishment for an incident in his past. When a woman with whom he had a brief fling ends up dead by apparent suicide in the office, Travis is thrown headfirst into an investigation that will lead him into a shadowy world where nothing is as it seems. The financial firm of Cowl and Comely is hiding a secret, and the woman who died might have been killed to protect it. Apart from discovering why his ex-girlfriend died, Travis has a bigger interest in getting to the bottom of things. All the evidence points to him as the murderer.
The book starts fast and never lets up, with an impressive body count that makes you wonder if anyone in the book will survive. The pace is breathless with action on almost every page. The chapters are short and punchy which keeps the book moving along at a fine clip. And above all, the twisty story keeps you turning the pages long into the night.
If you’re already a Baldacci fan, this book certainly won’t disappoint, and if you haven’t read a David Baldacci thriller yet, this would be a good one to jump aboard with. My only slight frustration was that while many of the threads are tied up neatly at the end of the book, there are some that the author leaves hanging. The book is marketed as a standalone currently, although I have to wonder if this is the start of a new series featuring the Travis Devine character because that is how it feels. I certainly hope that the threads left dangling are the start of an overarching narrative in the same way that Baldacci uses Mercy in the Atlee Pine series. Either way, the book was a quick and satisfying read and contained all the hallmark Baldacci traits. Fast action, memorable characters, and a tight plot.

**Review will be posted on Goodreads and TheFictionReview.com 30 days prior to the book's release date.

Travis Devine puts on a suit and takes the 6:20 train every day to a job he hates. A job he took as self punishment for his guilt over a death while he was serving in the military. His boring job takes a turn when he receives a mysterious e mail. From there the story takes off. Multiple deaths, with the police looking at him as the guilty party. The firm he is working for has some shady dealings and Travis is recruited to find proof. The book revolves around Wall Street and the world of finance. Travis isn’t sure who to trust. There are so many twists in the plot I didn’t figure out what was going on until the author revealed it. This is definitely a page turner. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

A real page turner. I liked it even more because it leaned toward mystery rather than a minute-by-minute thriller.

If you've read Baldacci, then you know you're in for a mesmerizing experience and this book provides that. He's just so good with the characters and the twists and turns--and just when you think you've got it, you do not. It's absolutely brilliant. I'll be that person salivating and waiting for a new work. This is a total winner.

Thank you Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC of The 6:20 Man.

Ex-Army Ranger, Travis Devine, is punishing himself for "crimes" he committed in the military by working on Wall Street. He boards the 6:20 train every Monday-Saturday to work 12+ hours in his cubicle making money for his company. When he arrives at work one morning, he discovers his ex-lover has committed suicide (murder) and he begins to receive untraceable emails that are targeting him. What exactly is his company up to? And just how many murders will occur before Travis can figure out the killer?

This was okay for me. The storyline got a little complicated at some points, and I personally did not like the main character. I felt like he was kind of arse that was full of himself. The novel sets itself up to be a series. And while this story was fine, I would probably not read a second book with the same main character.

Thirty-two-year-old Travis Devine is "The 6:20 Man", boarding the commuter train every morning into Manhattan, arriving early for a grueling day at his entry-level job as a financial analyst at Cowl and Comely, a prestigious investment firm, and spending long hours crunching numbers six days a week. A decorated ex-Army Ranger who rose to the rank of Captain, he decided to quit, got his MBA, and joined the world of finance. Though he isn’t completely happy with his new life, he has reconciled with his new reality but his years as a “combat stud” were far more satisfying on a personal level.

One morning he receives an anonymous email informing him that his colleague, mentor to his recruiting class and former girlfriend twenty-eight-year-old Sara Ewes was found dead in his office building, presumed to have committed suicide by hanging. However, Travis is doubtful that she would commit suicide and as the story progresses it becomes obvious that Sara was murdered. Both local and federal authorities reach out to Travis. The NYPD initially regard him as a suspect in Sara’s death. The federal authorities suspect Travis’s employers of shady dealings and reel him in to investigate within his company, compelling him to do so by bringing up the reasons for which he quit the Army- events from his past that still haunt him. As Travis investigates, he unearths secrets from Sara’s past and also realizes that someone is trying to frame him for Sara’s death. He also gathers proof that there is much more to what meets the eye as far as his employers and their business dealings are concerned. Everyone has secrets and everyone is a suspect. He often seeks help from his three housemates- a Russian hacker who loves his adopted country, a brilliant tech entrepreneur and a law graduate, but at times he is compelled to regard everyone with suspicion.

What happened to Sara? What or who caused her death? What goes on behind the closed doors of the 52nd floor of Crowl and Comely? Was Sara involved in the suspected shady dealings in the company or was she murdered for more personal reasons? Why is someone trying to implicate Travis?

Overall, David Baldacci’s The 6:20 Man is a thrilling read that weaves a complex web of murder, financial crimes, corrupt businessmen and international conspiracy. Though the setting of the novel is in the world of finance, the author does not drown us in technical jargon or make it too difficult to comprehend. The author takes his time in introducing the protagonist and his backstory. After a relatively slow start, the story picks up its pace and hooks us in till the very end. Full of twists and turns, Baldacci does not fail to surprise with the final reveal. Every time I thought I had figured it all out, we are delivered another twist and not until the very end do we identify the culprit(s). However, all is not resolved and we can expect a series in the making. Yes, as with most thrillers, we can expect far-fetched and OTT moments, but that’s the fun of reading an action-packed, fast-paced Baldacci thriller! I look forward to more thrillers featuring "The 6:20 Man", Travis Devine in the future.

Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing a digital review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The 6:20 Man is due for release on July 12, 2022.

David Baldacci is a prolific and favorite author. The 6:20 Man is a stand alone novel of intrigue and mystery.
However, this reviewer feels the pacing is slow. Not until the 30% mark did the intrigue become intriguing. That is too long to “set up” the plot, Furthermore, the mystery is shrouded in a lot of repetitive and convoluted details. Deleting some of the redundant details could have propelled the plot along. There are some fun twists at the end, but the wait for them came too late, The story arc has an interesting premise but falters in the execution.

I have enjoyed others series that Mr. Baldacci has penned. I was disappointed in this one as it faltered to enthrall. Overall, plot excitement waned and my interest waned as well.

However, the protagonist is an interesting character and for that reason I would read the next installment in this (apparently) new series. I always look forward to installments in the Will Robbie, John Puller, or Amos Decker series!

I appreciate NetGalley, Mr, Baldacci and the publisher providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

REVIEW - 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 🌟

There are certain authors that are autobuy for me and in the world of crime thrillers, David Baldacci novels are just that. Beginning with Absolute Power, published in 1996, I have read every one!

Synopsis from the publisher: Every day without fail, 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. In the mornings, he gazes out the train window at the lavish homes of the uberwealthy, dreaming about joining their ranks. In the evenings, he listens to the fiscal news on his phone, already preparing for the next grueling day in the cutthroat realm of finance. 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.

Travis is a multi faceted character. I wonder if he will ever truly be happy. He carries so much guilt for what happened in the military that I find myself wondering what is next for him. I was not able to see the ending for this one. This novel is listed as a stand-alone but feels like the beginning of a new character series for Baldacci. I hope so as I really enjoy following his characters such as John Puller and Atlee Pine. I think Travis Devine would be a great addition to his line up of character studies.

This book is recommended for readers who enjoy crime thriller fiction. If you enjoy novels by Harlan Coben or John Grisham you should read this one. I hope you love it!

Thank you to NetGalley, David Baldacci and Grand Central Publishing for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Once again, David Baldacci enthralls us with a new character and sets us off on a roller coaster ride of adventure. This book by Baldacci introduces a new character Travis Devine, and I hope that this will be a reoccurring character. Travis is a retired military man who gets his MBA and rides the 620 commuter train to Manhattan every day, where he works at an investment firm. In the course of the book, the author takes you through ups and downs and around corners, and you never know what's going to happen next to solve a whodunit mystery. Hold onto your seat as this is fast-paced, pay attention to the clues book that will have you anxiously waiting for the next Travis Devine installment.

Thank you to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and David Baldacci for allowing me to read an advanced copy for an honest review.

The 6:20 Man introduces readers to Travis Devine, a former Army Ranger now trying to survive the soul-crushing world of investment banking in New York City. He has a past he regrets, and his penance is working in a corporate world that he hates. He gets drawn into a murder investigation of a colleague he had a relationship with, and suddenly his world is turned upside down as secrets are revealed.

This seems to be the first book in a new series for the author. Travis is a solid character who tries to do the right thing even when it might be the wrong thing. He's likeable, smart, tough, and capable of defending himself and those around him. Red herrings abound here, and Travis has to constantly adjust to new information. I have two rather large quibbles with this book, both of which reduce the rating for me. First, two of the characters are specifically labeled as Christians, but neither believe or act remotely like any of the true Christians I know. In the same vein, tossing political agenda items all over the book will immediately rip me out of the story and is not appreciated.

Overall, a decent novel with a good protagonist. Not family friendly due to profanity, violence, sex, and adult themes.

The 6:20 Man by David Baldacci had many tangled webs and read like a science fiction and mystery book. The storyline kept my interest, and Baldacci's writing style is engaging.

The ending had my head whipping back and forth with the various characters and whodunit reveals. The 6:20 Man is a classic Baldacci addition to his many other books. A good story with well-developed characters and a good mystery.

#The620Man #NetGalley @GrandCentralpub

Another amazing book by David Baldacci !!

In the usual fast-paced, exciting style as past books, the author has woven a tale of good versus evil, corporate greed and its victims, tech-talk, and added some military-style espionage in for kicks! This book kept me interested from the beginning and never let up until the end.

I also appreciate that this author writes at a high reading level and doesn't try to simplify it for readers. I'm not saying its all big words and fancy prose, but its also not simplistic.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.