The 6:20 Man: The Number One Bestselling Richard and Judy Book Club Pick (Travis Devine 1)

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From the very start of the book, we know that Devine had been a ranger before he randomly just left the services. And at thirty-two years old, he’s swapping fighting the Taliban and Al Qaeda for a different kind of danger in the cut-throat world of high finance.

In fact he delivers enough context and backstory for Devine that this feels like part of a series – as if we met Devine when he was still a Ranger, before leaving the military – when instead Baldacci slowly but steadily shares Devine’s backstory.One thing you can be assured—if anyone gets too close and learns too much, they are DEAD and ELIMINATED before you have time to catch your next breath (and covered up). Baldacci’s latest thriller, right now a stand-alone but with all the makings of a first novel in a new series, is a blast of excitement that will push you into a nonstop readfest, blowing up any plans you might have of going to bed early. But he’s invested even before the evidence doesn’t add up, before someone starts to frame him AND before he’s approached by a secretive government team to be the ‘inside’ man. The twists, however, were a step too far and just not plausible, accounting for the lack of a fourth star. If you have read the book Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right by Jane Mayer (back in 2016) plus other movies and books, a look at the trillion US dollars stolen from all over the world by white-collar criminals, mostly owners or CEOs of banks and corporations.

And then there’s the boss’s girlfriend in addition to another employee who was Sara’s main rival at the firm. David published his first novel, Absolute Power, in 1996; the feature film adaptation followed, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star. The precept to Timothy here is to keep diligent and watchful guard over the faith committed to his trust; to preserve it unaltered and uncorrupt, so as to hand it down to his successors exactly the same as he had received it. 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.

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, spending long hours crunching numbers six days a week. He’s ex-highly decorated military now working on Wall Street for Cowl and Comely, a job he hates but pays the bills. Loved the writing, loved the supporting characters especially the roommates and it was beautifully done from first page to last. There has also been a progression in the development of control strategies that specify how these devices interact with participants. She strikes me the most and is probably my favorite character, having helped Devine on so many levels.

I have liked most of previous works of Baldacci and I had purchased this title with similar expectations but I was disappointed. I liked Devine, but there were also a lot of other characters with interesting stories, including Devine’s three housemates and the woman in the bikini.Incidentally I noticed this interview with Baldacci on FB about WHY he set this in the financial sector. Ends were tied up satisfactorily but there were a couple of over reaching arcs left open which may indicate another Travis Devine book in the future. Jesus likely meant His audience to presume that any eternal gift from God would be worth the investment of righteous living on earth. I was excited about the financial crime angle, murder mystery always works, an intricate web, but part of the reveal was a bit too much OTT unbelievable. The mystery behind the guilt the fuels our protagonist’s every day struggle to work in a place that makes him loath his life had me fully invested in his life in just the first 5 pages.

As a ‘Burner’ at Cowl and Comely dealing with numbers on a screen for minimal pay, with the hope of being kept on to rise to the next tier of the company hierarchy, it seems a thankless task.It isn't listed as the first of a series, but I suspect that Travis Devine may become another recurring character for Baldacci. New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Trying to gather minute pieces of evidence, Devine forges ahead with some theories of his own, only to find himself tangled in the web of his employer and a powerful man at the top.