62 pages • 2 hours read
David BaldacciThe 6:20 Man
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 32-38Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 32 Summary
Devine and Montgomery exchange personal stories. Montgomery shares how she and Cowl became involved in Italy. Devine reveals the morning train passengers’ view into Cowl’s property, leading to her apparent embarrassment about the unintended display. The encounter ends with Montgomery revealing her address in the expensive New York neighborhood of SoHo to Devine, painting a picture of her reliance on Cowl for financial assistance.
Chapter 33 Summary
The narrative turns to an examination of the implications of Devine’s presence on the security log on the night of Ewes’s death. Cowl suggests that manipulated video could frame Devine, hinting at the capabilities of a company he recently acquired. Devine subtly acknowledges his awareness of Cowl’s affair with Stamos, and Cowl responds with a cryptic message about friends and enemies, setting a tense tone for their relationship.
Chapter 34 Summary
Chilton’s interaction with Devine shifts from hostility to a more amicable dialogue, where they discuss Chilton’s investment in Tapshaw’s venture, Hummingbird. Devine begins to reconsider the nature of Chilton’s relationship with Montgomery and whether their interaction was coincidental or strategic.
Chapter 35 Summary
Valentine reveals his findings about high-volume trading stemming from an expected location within Cowl and Comely, suggesting that other secrets lie within. Devine advises Tapshaw on dealing with Chilton’s investment offer and shares the news of Ewes’s death, leading to the discovery of Ewes’s early subscription to the dating site Hummingbird.
Chapter 36 Summary
Devine reviews Ewes’s Hummingbird profile, which Tapshaw had carefully curated during her company’s early days. The chapter also delves into Tapshaw’s family background and ends with Devine and Speers’s flirtation turning intimate, providing a glimpse into Devine’s personal life amidst the ongoing investigation.
Chapter 37 Summary
At the train station, Devine bribes the station agent for information about the police investigation into Ewes’s death. He considers the shakiness of his alibi, noting that Cowl may be trying to set him up to take the blame. When the train passes Cowl’s house, he again sees Montgomery beside the pool. She’s wearing a one-piece swimsuit, which Devine first thinks is a concession to modesty now that she knows the passing commuters can see her—but then she turns around, revealing that the swimsuit is a thong, and raises two middle fingers in a gesture of defiance toward the voyeurs on the train. Devine receives a call from Ewes’s mother, requesting that he come by the Eweses’ house after work to talk about the investigation.
Chapter 38 Summary
Devine’s quick thinking leads to him obtaining a photo of Cowl’s phone, a potential piece of evidence. Cowl proposes that Devine delete the photos of his sexual encounter with Stamos in exchange for Cowl concealing the incriminating security logs. Cowl claims that his relationship with Stamos is different from his relationship with Montgomery. He sees Montgomery as strictly a short-term sex partner, whereas he respects Stamos’s intelligence and anticipates a deeper and longer-lasting relationship with her. When Devine suggests that Cowl may have been the cause of Ewes’s terminated pregnancy, Cowl claims to have never slept with Ewes, as she rejected his advances.
Chapters 32-38 Analysis
As Devine learns more about the death of Sara Ewes and the potentially shady dealings of Cowl’s firm, The Search for Truth becomes more all-consuming and complicated. For instance, Devine is fixated on the possibility that Ewes’s murder is connected to something illicit on the 51st floor, dubbed “Area 51” due to its mysterious activities. Valentine’s investigations suggest that the answer is not high-volume trading, as initially suspected by Devine, prompting speculation about other complex activities that might necessitate advanced technology and discretion. This focus on “Area 51,” however, is later revealed to be a diversion, steering readers away from the true motive and killer.
A pivotal but overlooked clue emerges in Chapter 37: Ewes’s recent abortion. The novel presents this fact alongside mounting evidence potentially incriminating Devine, including the manipulated security log and his lack of an alibi. These details could convincingly frame Devine as the murderer, driven by rage over the terminated pregnancy. The narrative does not dwell on this, and because Devine seemingly disregards it, readers might also discount its significance. Yet it is precisely this piece of information that holds the key to understanding the motive behind Ewes’s murder.
The novel’s single-perspective structure means that readers are privy only to what Devine learns from others. This narrative choice creates information gaps that can only be filled by assuming the veracity of other characters’ words. Devine accepts Tapshaw’s reaction to Ewes’s death and casual mention of her twin brother, Dennis, at face value, revealing his trusting nature. Because Devine tends to trust others, readers must continually speculate about how far his perspective might deviate from reality—another technique by which the novel deepens the sense of mystery and builds narrative suspense. For example, Devine’s disposition leads him to trust Tapshaw, a decision that later proves to be misguided as he discovers her deceit about her connection between Ewes and Tapshaw’s brother.
These chapters also emphasize the theme of Competitive Ambition, as low-level employees endure long hours and low pay in hopes of ascending the corporate ladder. Cowl’s life of conspicuous wealth stands as a symbol of what those junior employees are working so hard for, while his underlying concerns about the fallout from the scandalous photos and videos of his encounter with Stamos show that even his lofty position is more precarious than it might initially seem.
Despite his wealth, Cowl’s anxieties reflect the competitive nature of the financial services industry, where firms are vying for clients and scandals can tip the scales. His concern about the repercussions of his indiscretion with Stamos highlights the fragile balance of power and reputation in the business world.
Related Titles
By David Baldacci
