Wow, I loved the 6.20 Man, the newest thriller from David Baldacci. One my my most favourite authors is back with a bang. I really hope this isn't just a one off and is the start of a brand new series. I can see this book and the main character Travis Devine going far.

Travis Devine, a former Army Ranger, catches his usual 6.20 commuter train to Manhattan, where he works as an analyst at Cowl & Comely, a large investment firm. Then one morning he receives an e-mail saying "She is dead". Sara Ewes his former girlfriend and co-worker has been found dead in a storage room in his office building, Obviously the NYPD need to investigate him. he then receives an ominous visit, which unless he co-operates will reveal secrets about a chequered past, unless he investigates what's going on at Cowl & Comely.

We meet his colourful housemates and the very rich owner of Cowl & Comely through dangerous and exciting times. There are lots of clever plot twists which will keep you guessing until the very last second.

The super plot, detail and diverse characters and technology mean this book is right up to the minute. It would make a terrific movie or short tv series and I, for one, would want to be the first to watch it. Another winner for me. Well done Baldacci. Hope you're already on to Travis Devine book 2!!

Also a big thanks to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy for an honest review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for an advance copy of The 6:20 Man, a stand-alone thriller set in New York.

Travis Devine, a decorated hero, has left the army for an entry level job at financial powerhouse Cowl & Comely. The why of this is murky, but a shady government department is going to take advantage of this to co-opt him into their investigation of Cowl & Comely. He is more interested in the death of Sara Ewes, a coworker and friend and sees intersections between investigations.

I thoroughly enjoyed The 6:20 Man, so called because that is the time of Travis’s train on his daily commute where he thinks things over and sees something strange daily. I have been having concentration issues, but not with this novel, in fact I got quite grumpy when pulled away from it, so I think I can safely call it absorbing.

The plot is a bit slow to start, apart from Sara’s death, but I think this is necessary to set the scene, get the reader used to Travis’s ways and character and introduce a few anomalies and unusual events to get the reader’s brain cells and curiosity working. I was hooked with questions and puzzles and never stopped trying to work it out, until I was blindsided by the solution. Once it gets going, however, the read is a cracker with tension, danger, twists and a lack of trust. I never stopped wanting to know what was coming next.

I won’t pretend to understand what Wall Street banks do, but I think the author has it right for readers like me (uninformed and innately distrustful of such institutions) with broad brushstrokes on the finance and a few sideswipes at the exploitative nature of working there. I also think he is bang on the money about what the rich can do with it and how it shapes American values.

I like Travis Devine and would gladly read more about his exploits. He is a Jack Reacheresque character with fighting skills and the intelligence to figure out what to do in tricky situations, albeit without the nomadic existence. He doesn’t always get it right but he’s a fast learner and his heart is in the right place.

The 6:20 Man is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

I've just finished the latest David Baldacci, The 6:20 Man, in this heat (39°C!)! I received it from Pan Macmillan via Netgalley and it'll be out on 4 August.

You follow Travis Devine who used to be an Army Ranger. Now, he works on Wall Street as an analyst. He always takes the 6:20 train into town and he passes a house which makes alarm bells ring. It all starts when a person he knows from work is found dead, and she is only the first. Who can he trust at work? And who is interested in him and why?

As usual, Baldacci delivers with this great new thriller. From the first chapter on, you are hooked! Fast-paced, action-filled, with a great story and some great twists you will only find out about at the end. His writing style is so easy, so comfortable when reading, you just keep on going. A definite recommendation!

Travis Devine is the 6.20 man. He’s ex-highly decorated military now working on Wall Street for Cowl and Comely, a job he hates but pays the bills. He catches the 6.20 daily into NYC and gazes at the multi million dollar properties along the route, the bikini clad woman by the pool of one such mega mansion brightens his early morning commute. His mind numbing daily routine in the pursuit of making money for someone further up the food chain than himself is broken one morning when he receives a strange email about the death of a Co-worker he likes, Sarah Ewes. Her death is initially ruled a suicide- but why? Travis is questioned by NYPD and then by Federal agents who use his army past against him to ‘persuade’ him to go undercover at Cowl and Comely. This is just the tip of the iceberg as what is revealed is submerged in very murky waters in this well crafted thriller.

This standalone is my first David Baldacci and I’m not sure why I’ve never read his books before!!! I definitely feel the need to put that right! This takes a while to get going as it’s a bit over detailed at the start. However, once it gets off the starting blocks it’s a cracking read. Travis is an excellent central protagonist, he’s flawed (who isn’t?!) but very likeable and has good intentions. Initially nothing makes sense to him, then a lot of coincidences are revealed which makes you smell a large nest of rats! There’s a good range of characters from Gordon Gekko types to some you definitely have no wish to encounter anywhere, anytime.

The plot is good and it’s all too plausible, sadly, based on the things we have learned over the last year or so. It becomes action packed, we get
glimpses of a conspiracy which then becomes very intense and dangerous. The tension ramps up and there are some breathtaking encounters. There are multiple clever plot twists, the pace is fast, the dialogue smart and it becomes more and more intriguing by the minute! The end is good and not one I anticipate which is all to the good and I like how it’s not too neatly tied up in a bow as that feels much more realistic.

I hope Travis appears again as I’d love to read what he gets up to next!!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Quercus for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

At the age of 32 former battle-hardened Ranger Travis Devine opts for the less lethal and violent world of financial analysis at financial behemoth Cowl and Comely. That's the intention at least but soon the bodies start to pile up ,the guns come out and the fists begin to fly. With the highlight of his day previously being the sight of an attractive young woman in a bikini seen out of the window of the 6.20 train into work ,Travis finds himself in a world of trouble after the first body is discovered at this workplace, close friend Sarah Elwes.
This is a fast-paced thriller with plenty of twists and turns,,as Travis finds himself a suspect and tries to find the truth he unearths the dark underbelly of Cowl and Comely he doesn't know who to trust, or why he appears to be being set up.

A great read with the potential for it to become the beginning of a new series.

David Baldacci - always a winner in my opinion - whats not to like. Just get comfortable and enjoy every written word.
New character in the shape of Travis Devine, an ex Army Ranger who left under a cloud, is the 6.20 man. He boards the 6.20 train into the city every day in his new role as an entry level financial analyst at a prestigious investment firm.
Financial thriller, murder mysteries with twisting and turning investigations, conspiracy and a detailed look into the international world of finance. A mixture of interesting supporting characters evolve throughout the book and make this a great book. Hopefully a new series.
Highly recommend.

Travis Devine would be the first to admit his life is a humdrum combination of going to work and coming home to sleep but it pays the bills, makes his father proud of his investment analyst son, and he hates it. Office policy dictates no fraternisation between staff members but Travis had ignored the rule just the once. Now she is dead, he's in the frame for her murder, and shady individuals are following his every move. What happened to the humdrum?

With the police convinced of his guilt and having no other option, Devine begins investigating alone until he finds himself in the employ of a government agent whose office of choice is the back room of an Italian restaurant! As he tries to unravel the clues he's found the body count increases and danger strikes too close for comfort. Suddenly discovering the truth becomes secondary to staying alive, but, truth be told, Travis isn't sure he'll succeed at either!

This is, at present, a standalone from the ever popular David Baldacci. It delves into areas I have no experience of but it was never too complicated or simplistic. Instead as clues and information came to light the explanations made it easier to just keep reading.

Travis Devine is a mysterious main protagonist, intentionally so, and I really enjoyed his part in this book. His colleagues were even more guarded but if he comes back in future works that may be rectified. The storyline has all the twists and turns you would expect from a master of his craft and there was no padding or unnecessary words, this was action all the way and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. This is excellent and highly recommended.

Another hit for David Baldacci. His style of writing is exciting and a real page turner. The concept of this plot was very clever. Set in the area of money laundering and high finance, it was a really good story, full of surprises.
Thank you to NetGalley and PanMacmillan for the advance copy of this book.

I have to say that I've read all Of David Baldacci's books over the years in mostly chronological order. Some recent ones, though well written and enjoyable felt like a well practiced art rather than 'special', but this one is the later, and reminded me very much of his early biting political thrillers.

There are lots of references to current political 'hot topics' (no spoilers!), the plot is rich and multi-faceted, and it reads really well. I engaged with most of the characters and genuinely was surprised with some of the plot twists. My only criticism was the ending. I thought that there was too much new information not suggested previously,
and it felt a bit stand-alone.

I hope that the author decides to write a sequel to this as it was thoroughly enjoyable!

Always escape in to a David Baldacci book and this is no exception
Well written and captivating as always. Really hoping that the book is not a stand alone and a series is being developed for the main characters. Don't want to give any spoilers but two misfits find each other by circumstances that spiral out of control.

From the moment that I’ve seen that cover and read the description, I knew I must read this book.

The whole premise of an ex-military man changing his life for a financial adviser is really interesting. As I did not know how these two different fields can join the interest of the same person, I was intrigued by how the author will flesh out the main character.

I loved how he interweaved the past and present of Travis. He really grew out on me throughout the story. From being presented as a normal working character that has big dreams and just lives a life somewhere in between his past and his future, this was interesting to see how it will evolve and if he will ever reach his goals.

There's nothing so simple in life, and Travis has to find a way out from this web of greediness and political groups that will step on dead bodies to get away with their plan.

The author has done an amazing job of depicting all these suspenseful scenes.

I honestly didn't know who to believe and where this story is taking me in the end. So many unexpected twists and trials.

Addictive and suspenseful, The 6:20 Man is an unmissable read!

NetGalley arc

A stunning return to form from the master of the tightly-plotted crime thriller.

Travis Devine is a man with a secret. One he is punishing himself to atone for. Working at an investment firm is his idea of hell, and when his colleague is found hanging in a storeroom, he is doubly frustrated when he receives an email with inside knowledge.

At the same time, his past catches up with him and he finds himself unpleasantly wriggling on someone else's hook, that someone forcing him to investigate the firm he is working at.

His only break from the nightmare is his daily brief glimpse of the beautiful woman using the pool of his boss' Palace when the 6:20 - his commuter train - has its daily pause.

A twisty, well-crafted novel with a super plot. I was hoping for one of his top novels, and this one delivers perfectly.

An excellent fast paced thriller, set in the high flying world of finance in New York. Travis Devine is an ex Army Ranger, turned intern analyst for a prestigious company, but he hates it. It’s part of the penance he feels he must pay for things he’s done in the past. He is an interesting character, flawed, determined and with a conscience. As with all of this authors books, it’s well researched, well written and the plots are always hugely plausible, in fact frighteningly so at times. And just when you think you’ve got it all worked out, the story does an about-turn. Had me reading late into the night.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is the latest action packed thriller from the prolific author, David Baldacci, set in the high finance world of New York. 32 year old Travis Devine is a former Army Ranger Captain who had distinguished himself with tours of Iraq and Afghanistan, but having quit, he is now a far from happy entry level grunt analyst, crunching numbers in the dog eat dog world of the powerful investment bank, Cowl and Comely. Every morning he takes the 6.20 train from Mount Kisco, where he shares a house with 3 others, to Manhattan, as it passes the homes of the uber wealthy he often glimpses a beautiful woman in a bikini at a 'palace', a highlight which has most of the male travellers salivating. One morning, he receives a strange anonymous email which informs him of the death of friend and colleague 28 year Sarah Ewes, with whom he had a brief relationship. In what at first is assumed to be a suicide, Sarah is found hanging in a storage room of the bank's building.

For reasons he cannot fathom, Devine finds himself a suspect, being closely interrogated by NYPD Detective Karl Hancock. To exacerbate matters, secrets of his army past comes back to haunt him when he is forced to investigate the bank and Brad Cowl by a former army general, Emerson Campbell, heading the secret Office of Special Projects, part of the Department of Homeland Security. Devine finds himself in his element, able to use his military experience and skills, plus his recently acquired financial expertise, freed at long last from the tedium of his normal long working days. After it becomes clear that Sarah was murdered, Devine becomes convinced that she must have come across evidence of serious financial wrongdoing at the bank. However, nothing is as it appears in the most dangerous of investigations, in which Devine is aided by his housemates, particularly the Russian Will Valentine, a white hatter hacker, and the surprising help that comes from Michelle Montgomery.

The author is an experienced thriller writer, and it shows here with the elevated levels of tension and suspense, and the incorporation of numerous unexpected twists in his compulsive storytelling. This is a hugely entertaining read, dark, intense, with a protagonist you cannot help but care for as he fights to stay alive, determined and intent on shining a light in the dark corners of Cowl and Comely and the threat it poses to the country. As is often normal within the genre of thrillers, you are going to have to suspend your sense of disbelief to enjoy this riveting offering from Baldacci. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

No one does compulsive page-turners quite like Baldacci!

I've been a fan of Baldacci's work for years and was very excited when I got the opportunity to read an ARC of his upcoming latest title, the 6:20 Man. And it's like the thriller-reader's version of a glorious mixed bag from the candy store. We get:

- The super-tough ex-army protagonist who can fight his way out of any situation (but prefers it if he doesn't have to). He has the usual emotional baggage to work through, but in contrast to the other lean, mean killing-machine heroes the genre delights in, he actually does so.
- female characters who are not just there to look good in a bikini (althought they do that, too)
- some old-school spy craft
- a political intrigue
- super-secret secret services that are so secret even the other secret services do not know them
- quirky side characters that may well be set to return in future instalments
- an all-around inclusive cast that doesn't feel like it's only there to tick boxes
- a classic murder-mystery thriller plot.

All that is neatly wrapped up as a stand-alone, but with all the hallmarks of potentially being the first in a series.

With so much going on it's not surprising that the plot felt a bit far-fetched and implausible in places - but then this isn't exactly the kind of book you pick up looking for realism. I blew through this in two afternoons and enjoyed every minute of it - the perfect book to suck you in and take your mind off things.

I'd recommend this to readers who enjoy old-school military thrillers and fans of Jeffery Deaver, Steven Konkoly and Lee Child (althought I'd maintain that Baldacci does it best).

A big thank you to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here expressed are my own.

Six days a week, Travis Devine takes the 6:20 Harlem commuter train from Mount Kisco to Manhattan where he toils as an entry level analyst in a leading Wall Street firm named Cowl and Comley. He has chosen this grind, one that he hates with all his heart, as a self-imposed penance for something he did in his previous career as a US Army ranger that he had to quit under murky circumstances. One day, sitting in his office, Devine receives a personal email from an unknown source informing him that Sara Ewes, a bright, young star in Cowl and Comley with whom Devine has had a brief—and secret—relationship, has been found hanging in a room in the same office building. The presumed suicide soon turns out to be a murder and the NYPD starts to suspect that Devine knows more about Ewes and her death than he lets on.

Meanwhile, a secret government agency picks up Devine and presents him with the choice between spying for the agency against his employer, who apparently is involved in some shady activities, and facing punishment for his past misstep while in the Army. Choosing the obvious course, Devine goes snooping about—both into Cowl and Comely’s alleged misdeeds and into the murder of Ewes that has affected him in more ways than one. Devine’s investigation draws him deeper into the cutthroat world of high finance where deceit and corruption reign supreme and a conspiracy of unimaginable proportion brews. Just as he starts to make some headway, more bodies start to fall and whatever deductions he has made so far seem entirely wrong. Unable to understand whom to trust, Devine must put into use all the skills he has learned—first as a soldier and then as a financial analyst—if he expects to come out of the situation with his sanity, and life, intact.

The 6:20 Man is another gripping thriller from David Baldacci who has been belting out hit after hit for quite some time now. Travis Devine—an Army ranger with superlative fighting skills and a brilliant mind, carrying a heavy baggage from his past and always striving to do the right thing—is a complex, layered character and Baldacci mercilessly thrusts him into messy situations with exciting results. The other characters, like Devine’s roommates, the flamboyant Brad Cowl and the beautiful Michelle Montgomery, are well drawn too. The big mystery is well kept and the twist towards the end felt quite unpredictable for me.

While it moves at a breakneck pace, the plot at times feels much too convoluted and needs the reader to suspend disbelief on several occasions. There are a few important matters that are left unexplained and the ending, though satisfactory in one aspect, is left open on the other. These little things somewhat diminish the fun of reading this otherwise excellent thriller. Despite being billed as a standalone, I have a feeling that Baldacci is planning a few more adventures for Devine and I won’t be averse to reading those.

I am grateful to Pan Macmillan for the e-ARC of The 6:20 Man in exchange for my unbiased opinion through NetGalley.

The 6:20 Man is a heart-racing thriller set in the world of high finance in New York, from the number one bestselling author David Baldacci. Remarkable concept and impeccable execution from start to the end. Every single page gives a full-throttle effect. The story moved marvellously. I finished the book overnight.