#ReadThis #The620Man by @DavidBaldacci
He wants to be a part of it, New York, New York!
The 6:20 Man is the best Baldacci we have read in years not only because it takes place in Manhattan but also because its plot is by far the most complex and intelligent.
And what a cover! Park Avenue South, baby!
Fun fact: Peachy once worked with a company in the building on the right in this picture.
It's not who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW and though we personally do not know David Baldacci like we feel we know canine literary stats star pooch Willie Schirripa, we have been recommending Baldacci since way back in 2012 and maybe even before that. We're going to get ahead of ourselves and say everything else that Baldacci is doing right now should take a second seat to the hopeful sequel of the 6:20 Man.
You should know that the numerical value in the title is a reference to the train time. We are surprised it is not the New Haven line, however, as we strongly believe that is the classiest one as it goes to Connecticut. Of course you know that is Grand Central Station in the picture, saved by the late great Jackie Kennedy.
Timelines matter! Pay close attention.
The slang is hilarious and we know quite a few people who once were Burners and still may be! And they DO look like they are heading to their graves. (p. 130)
For all our bathing beauties (check out our recent Miraclesuit coverage), you will be intrigued by the great role that bathing suits play in this book. We shall not give it away. If you are not a bathing beauty yourself surely you admire this group and you are one of those wagging your tail on the train.
The characters are like onions...layers and layers! The Russian is the most hilarious, dude, complete with his little bay-bee cousin.
Murder is the name of the game here and motive is going to keep you guessing. The plot woven by Baldacci is as tight and intricate as the most complex Celtic Cable. All fans of the military and fans of NBC's The Blacklist are going to love this genre by Baldacci that we hope to see continue sooner rather than later!
From an accuracy perspective we feel that no one says Merrill Lynch anymore as Bank of America acquired it. Merrill is B of A. The investment bank at the center of the story is fictional and we are horrified by their cafeteria choices which have gone way downhill from what the industry standard has been (p. 65). And actually our opinion is that more construction is done on the weekend because the traffic is so much lighter (p. 110-111) and if they are going to go to an Italian restaurant they would have been better off going to see Sal Esposito at Il Cortile (p. 111).
Figuring out who is what and getting the nuances of each character right is going to keep you up all night until you reach the end. You might not want to read this on your commute because our studies show you will probably miss your stop.
Nearly grammar perfect, there is one slip on page 113 because it should be fewer than two years.
We hope on page 73 the characters are hanging out at Paul Nicaj's brilliant place-stay tuned on that-we were the first to feature it after it was rebuilt after Hurricane Sandy.
The 6:20 Man is Highly Recommended by Whom You Know.
This was all about two things: money and power. But in reality, they were one and the same.
David Baldacci will publish his newest standalone novel, THE 6:20 MAN, on July 12, 2022. When a powerful investment firm is rocked by murder, a junior financial analyst and former soldier finds himself enmeshed in the corruption and menace that prowl beneath the opulence of New York’s financial world.
Every day without fail, Travis Devine puts on a cheap suit 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 financial news and preps for the next grueling day in the cutthroat realm of finance. Then one morning his 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 their office building—presumably a suicide—prompting the NYPD to come calling on him. To make matters worse, 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 takes him to the darkest corners of the country’s financial halls of power, where something rotten lurks.
About the book:
THE 6:20 MAN by David Baldacci
On-sale July 12, 2022 [432 pages]
Hardcover: 978-1-5387-1984-8 ($29)
E-book: 978-1-5387-1987-9 ($14.99)
Available in CD and downloadable audio
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David Baldacci has been writing since childhood, when his mother gave him a lined notebook in which to write down his stories. (Much later, when David thanked her for being the spark that ignited his writing career, she revealed that she’d given him the notebook to keep him quiet, “because every mom needs a break now and then.”)
David published his first novel, Absolute Power, in 1996. The feature film adaptation followed, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star. In total, David has published 45 novels for adults; all have been national and international bestsellers, and several have been adapted for film and television. His novels are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide. David has also published seven novels for young readers.
A lifelong Virginian, David received his Bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, after which he practiced law in Washington, D.C.
In addition to being a prolific writer, David is a devoted philanthropist, and his greatest efforts are dedicated to his family’s Wish You Well Foundation®. Established by David and his wife, Michelle, the Wish You Well Foundation supports family and adult literacy programs in the United States. In 2008 the Foundation partnered with Feeding America to launch Feeding Body & Mind, a program to address the connection between literacy, poverty and hunger. Through Feeding Body & Mind, more than 1 million new and gently used books have been collected and distributed through food banks to families in need.
David and his family live in Virginia.
