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62 pages 2 hours read

David Baldacci

The 6:20 Man

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022

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Chapters 49-56Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 49 Summary

Devine’s subterfuge involves using a replica of Cowl’s phone to access the mysterious 51st floor. The tension heightens as he navigates the risk of swapping the phones, while Cowl’s ignorance of the attackers suggests that he wasn’t behind the attempt on Devine’s life, complicating the web of suspicion surrounding Ewes’s murder.

Chapter 50 Summary

Devine’s explores the 51st floor, a stark space buzzing with financial activity that may or may not be illicit. He uses a concealed camera to monitor the trades, worrying all the time about the likelihood of being caught. On the way out, he sees Montgomery’s clothes on Cowl’s floor and feels both jealous and remorseful at his inability to warn Montgomery about Cowl’s involvement in illicit activities. He speaks with the man at the reception desk and learns that no one entered the building during the time when Ewes was killed, which means that whoever killed her was already in the building.

Chapter 51 Summary

Devine’s covert operation leaves him with more data than answers. The Locust Group comes up frequently in transactions conducted from “Area 51,” as does Chilton’s Mayflower Enterprises. Tapshaw asks Devine about the presence of the police at the house the previous morning, and Devine evades the question by telling her that he was mugged. He checks his phone again to see what’s happening at Area 51 and finds that the whole operation has suddenly shut down. When he gets to the offices of Cowl and Comely, he finds Detectives Shoemaker and Ekman waiting for him. They tell him that Stamos was murdered late that night and ask where he was at that time.

Chapter 52 Summary

The narrative tension grows as Cowl and Comely reel from the news of Stamos’s murder. Devine receives another cryptic email from the same source that emailed him about Ewes’s murder, and Montgomery reveals further information about her complicated relationship with Cowl, suggesting layers of manipulation and control within their interactions.

Chapter 53 Summary

Devine has increasing doubts about the people around him, including Speers, who may not be who she claims to be.

Chapter 54 Summary

Cowl has been manipulating Montgomery into displaying her body for the commuters on the train. Devine deduces that the color of Montgomery’s swimsuit serves as a coded message for the traders on the train.

Chapter 55 Summary

Devine pieces together the puzzle of the swimsuit colors and their implications for trading activities. An article by journalist Elaine Nestor introduces the idea that Cowl’s public narrative may be a facade, and Devine’s collaboration with Campbell suggests a historical precedent for such covert communication methods.

Chapter 56 Summary

Devine and Montgomery visit Nestor, whose insights into the clandestine financial dealings of the wealthy, including Cowl’s potential real estate ventures, cast a new light on the mystery. Nestor helps Devine and Montgomery piece together that Cowl is running an elaborate, international money-laundering scheme, and Devine recalls Hancock’s hints that Cowl is nowhere near the top of the organization.

Chapters 49-56 Analysis

The narrative tension escalates as Devine manipulates Cowl’s phone to gain access to the 51st floor with Montgomery’s cooperation, a detail that highlights her agency and resourcefulness. Their actions underscore the power dynamics between men and women within the corporate hierarchy. Devine’s lack of a strategy for swapping the phones back adds an element of suspense, and Montgomery’s possible orchestration of a diversion with Cowl suggests her strategic use of personal relationships.

Juxtaposition is a prominent literary device in the novel, contrasting characters and their circumstances to enrich the reader’s understanding of them. The stark differences between Cowl’s privileged yet unscrupulous nature and Devine’s more modest but honorable existence are evident. Furthermore, the comparison between Stamos and Montgomery reveals divergent approaches to navigating the male-dominated corporate world, with Stamos feeling compelled to use sex as a means of advancement, while Montgomery seeks to use sex to achieve financial independence.

The narrative contains thematic references to The Search for Truth in this section, particularly surrounding the events of Stamos’s death. Montgomery’s alibi and nonchalant attitude potentially point to her involvement, while Cowl’s absence at the time of the crime casts suspicion on him. However, seasoned readers might view these leads as too conspicuous, expecting more nuanced developments. Devine’s sudden doubts about Speers introduce another suspect, though the timing within the novel’s progression may lead readers to question the veracity of this clue.

The novel also explores how wealth and power can impede the search for truth, as illustrated by the conflicting accounts of Cowl’s financial history. Nestor’s journalistic integrity clashes with Cowl’s narrative of his family’s squandered wealth, highlighting the influence money can wield over truth and reputation.

The chapters draw attention to the theme of Technology as a Double-Edged Sword. Devine’s realization that security footage and logs can be manipulated calls into question the reliability of such systems, reflecting a broader skepticism about technological infallibility. The novel emphasizes that despite digital manipulation, traditional methods of investigation and verification, such as eyewitness accounts and direct communication, remain crucial. Cowl’s preference for analog methods, such as using the color of Montgomery’s swimsuit as a signal, demonstrates an awareness of technology’s vulnerabilities and the value of more direct, untraceable forms of communication.

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