The 6:20 Man

by David Baldacci, Zachary Webber (Read by), Christine Lakin (Read by), Mela Lee (Read by)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

A leading figure in the thriller genre, Baldacci once again leaves you on the edge of your seat in his newest work, The 6:20 Man. This book is filled to the brim with action, blackmail, and plot twists. Former army ranger Travis Devine has turned himself into a financial analysist. When Devine becomes the prime suspect in the death of his former girlfriend, Sara Ewes, it becomes a race against the clock to prove his innocence.

A cryptic murder pulls a former soldier turned financial analyst deep into the corruption and menace that prowl beneath the opulent world of finance, in #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci’s new thriller.

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781549160653
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	07/12/2022
Series:	6:20 Man , #1
Sales rank:	257,085
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 5.80(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

DAVID BALDACCI is a global #1 bestselling author, and one of the world's favorite storytellers. His books are published in over forty-five languages and in more than eighty countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide. His works have been adapted for both feature film and television. David Baldacci is also the cofounder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across America. Still a resident of his native Virginia, he invites you to visit him at DavidBaldacci.com and his foundation at WishYouWellFoundation.org.

Hometown:

Northern Virginia

Date of Birth:

August 5, 1960

Place of Birth:

Richmond, VIrginia

Education:

B.A. in Political Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1982; J.D., University of Virginia, 1986

Website:

http://www.david-baldacci.com/

Editorial Reviews

Listeners are treated to a young Jack Reacher-like ex-Army Ranger named Travis Devine, who is perfectly portrayed by narrator Zachary Webber. Devine is a trained fighting machine who has learned to remain silent in critical situations. Webber masterfully differentiates the other male characters, including a Russian hacker, by varying his timbre, pacing, and accents. Narrator Christine Lakin does an excellent job of providing well-matched voices for the key female characters, while Mela Lee does the same for the secondary female roles. The complex story revolves around murders that are taking place in the financial institution Devine works for. While listeners may find the plot implausible, they will find the narrators’ performances gripping—this is a page-turner of an audio experience. Let’s hope Devine returns in a series with these narrators. E.Q. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2022 - AudioFile

05/16/2022

Army veteran Travis Devine, the protagonist of this disappointing thriller from bestseller Baldacci (One Good Deed), had a distinguished career serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, but he quit under mysterious circumstances to join Cowl and Comely, a high-pressure Wall Street investment firm. Every weekday, he takes the 6:20 a.m. commuter train from the suburbs into Manhattan, where he toils until evening. His life’s upended when he gets a text from an unknown person informing him that a colleague, Sara Ewes, whom he had a romantic interest in, was found hanging in a storage room in his office building. That death, which may not be the suicide it appears to be, triggers a cascade of dramatic developments. Devine becomes a murder suspect, others are killed, and he’s tapped to conduct a covert investigation into Cowl and Comely by a Homeland Security official. Despite lip service paid to recent real-life revelations from leaked documents about U.S. companies’ role in international money laundering, the implausible plot, in which the DHS official gives Devine no real guidance, makes it difficult for the reader to suspend disbelief. Baldacci has done better. Agent: Aaron Priest, Aaron M. Priest Literary. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"A complex, high-powered thriller that will keep the reader guessing . . . This is a winner from a pro."—Kirkus, Starred Review

"Keeps readers guessing with an intriguing story and a few good plot twists . . . It seems like Baldacci might be planning more Travis Devine stories. Let's hope so."—Booklist

"Corporate conspiracies, corruption, and murder—all come together in one of thriller fans’ most anticipated books of the summer . . . Baldacci’s experience in this genre truly shines as he builds complex layers of riveting twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat!"—Reader's Digest

"David Baldacci is a master storyteller."—Associated Press

"David Baldacci is one of the all-time best thriller authors."—Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"A master storyteller."—People

"Baldacci delivers, every time!"—Lisa Scottoline, New York Times bestselling author

From the Publisher

02/01/2022

There's no word on plot, but this summer thriller is a stand-alone—Baldacci's first in over a decade—and boasts a million-copy first printing.

Library Journal

★ 2022-06-08
A complex, high-powered thriller that will keep the reader guessing.

Former U.S. Army Ranger Travis Devine regularly takes the 6:20 commuter train to a job he hates at Cowl and Comely, the New York firm where he is an investment analyst. He's one of many “Burners,” or interns, who slave 80 hours a week and more for low pay in hopes of not being fired at the end of the year. Devine works there to appease his father, who had despised his son’s choice to serve his country instead of immediately going out and getting rich like his two older siblings. The morning train passes by the home of Cowl, whom the Burners are making richer and richer. Passengers get daily unfettered views of a gorgeous bikinied woman at Cowl’s swimming pool. She seems oblivious to the yearning gazes of the male commuters. Then, one morning at work, Devine receives an anonymous, untraceable text saying, “She is dead.” None of his fellow Burners received it. “She” is Sara Ewes, a colleague with whom he had once had sex. How could anyone know? It was a secret because dating within the company was a fireable offense. Apparently, she had hanged herself in the building. At home, Devine has interesting roommates, including a pizza-loving, Russia-born male computer hacker; a woman who's building a dating website with phenomenal potential; and another woman who has recently graduated from law school. The Russian tries and fails to track the source of the text for Devine. More people die at the company, naturally freaking everyone out. Devine is a suspect, but a retired Army general protects him—for a price. Devine must help them unravel a secret at the company, and if he refuses, they will “send my ass right to USDB” (United States Disciplinary Barracks) for an act he had committed while in the Army. Readers will suspect nearly everyone in this fast-moving whodunit. Clues abound, like the color of a bathing suit and mysterious references to Waiting for Godot. A great line states that diversity in the high finance world looks like “a jar of Miracle Whip all the way to the bottom.”

What fun! This is a winner from a pro.

Kirkus Reviews