The 6:20 Man, David Baldacci, author; Zachary Webber, Christine Lakin, Mela Leen, narrators. Travis Devine is what is known as a burner at Cowl and Comely. He is an entry level grunt who is a lot older than most of the others with whom he is employed. He spent several years in the military, in spite of his father’s deep disappointment in him when he went to West Point. Now, after leaving the service and furthering his education, with an MBA in hand, he takes the 6:20 train every morning to his job in order to punish himself, and perhaps, to please his father by working for a high-powered investment firm. Because he lives in Mount Kisco, every morning the train actually passes by and stops at a station that offers a view of his boss’s mansion. There, at Brad Cowl’s pool, he, along with the other riders, are gazing eagerly out of the train window. They are hoping to catch a glimpse of a beautiful woman as she lounges or swims there most mornings. Travis shares an apartment with three other roommates. One, an MIT graduate, runs Hummingbird, a dating service, one is a Russian tech wizard hoping to become an American citizen, and one says she is a lawyer. They are all workaholics. When one of his fellow workers, at Cowl and Comely, Sara Ewes, is found dead, He is deeply affected by it. She had been a beautiful and bright woman, destined for success. He had once had a brief, secret relationship with her. Employee fraternization was forbidden at the company. He would have liked the relationship to develop, but she broke it off without explanation. Soon after her death, other bodies began to pile up and Devine’s life began to fracture and go in several directions at once. Many began to point fingers at him, since he was acquainted with all of the victims. He enlisted the aid of his roommates in their various capacities, to help him clear his name and solve the crime. When Devine retired from the service, although bedecked with medals, he left under a cloud. Two of his friends had died, one by suicide, and one after a violent fight. After he was cleared of any wrongdoing, he felt forced to leave. To satisfy his dad, he resumed his education and then took the job with Cowl and Comely. Emerson Campbell, also a highly decorated former veteran of the Army, is in charge of a secret Special Projects Office. He reaches out to recruit/coerce Army Ranger Captain Devine, to help him in his investigation of the company, Cowl and Comely. It was a matter of national security and an offer he could not refuse. There is a great deal of intrigue, and there are many diverse characters introduced, all of whom seem to have secrets or some sort of shadowy past. None of the characters are completely innocent or blame free in any situation that develops, and only some are of basic good character. As we learn more about Travis, and his interactions with them, his character actually develops more positively. We also find that he is sought after by women, which may seem surprising since he was rejected by Sara. As the novel plays out, Travis finds that someone is attempting to frame him for the murder of several of the recent victims, and his own life seems to be in danger. As the two themes run together, the personal one about Devine’s life, and the secret one involving Emerson’s Office of Special Projects, the tension builds rapidly. Unfortunately, at the end, as the conclusion draws near, and part of the mystery is resolved, some of the revelations change what started out as a really interesting and hard to solve mystery, and made it into a novel written to satisfy the woke world. Why so many authors feel they must participate in the liberal mantra, making a good book seem contrived, simply to please the masses of progressive readers, is confounding, yet many authors today choose to do just that. The plot became a bit silly as gender confusion and race almost became more important themes of the book than the murders and threats to national security. The novel was suddenly disappointing. Still, I gave it three stars for the effort.