Review of "The Edge: A 6:20 Man Thriller" by David Baldacci

In this second book in the '6:20 Man' series, former U.S. Army Ranger Travis Devine investigates the murder of a CIA agent in rural Maine. The book works fine as a standalone.

*****

As the story opens, secret government operative Travis Devine, who has MEGA SKILLS from his previous Army Ranger training, encounters three assassins on a train from Geneva to Milan.



Travis kills two men and leaves one woman unconscious but alive, thinking she might change her ways. As things turn out, this isn't the best possible move.

In any case, once Devine is back on American soil, his handler, retired two-star general Emerson Campbell, gives Travis a new assignment.



A CIA operative called Jennifer (Jenny) Silkwell was shot to death while visiting her hometown of Putnam, Maine. To make things even worse, Jenny's government computer and phone were stolen. The electronics may contain sensitive information, and mustn't fall into the wrong hands.



General Campbell gives Devine a credentials pack that identifies him as a special investigator with Homeland Security, and sends Travis to Maine to find Jenny's killer and retrieve the computer and phone.



As soon as Devine arrives in Putnam, which has a population of about 250, he starts to sense hostility from the locals. This starts with the owner of the Putnam Inn, where Devine is staying. Then when Travis meets Chief of Police Richard Harper and Sergeant Wendy Wuss - and suggests they collaborate - the cops are cold.





Wuss complains, 'You're here to do the job we're already doing...Feds are all the same. Think you're bettern'n the locals'. In fact, the local investigation does seem to be rather languid. Medical examiner Françoise Guillaume notes that the tox screen and blood workup on victim Jenny's body isn't complete because 'they don't get done as fast as on TV'.



And the cops haven't interviewed Jenny's sister Alex and brother Dak because, as Sergeant Wuss notes, 'They're grieving. We'll talk to them at the appropriate time. It's how we do things up here'.

The people in Putnam do know Jenny 'was a spy or some such' and seem to believe that's why she was killed, because 'no one from around Putnam would hurt one hair on Jenny's head.' Everyone seems to agree about this, including Jenny's brother Dak, who's a tattoo artist and entrepreneur.



In spite of law enforcement seeming to drag their feet, Devine plows right ahead with his investigation. Travis examines the crime scene; studies the bullet casing left behind; questions the retired lobsterman who found Jenny's body; interviews Jenny's relatives; speaks to people acquainted with Jenny; and so on. Devine finds that ALMOST EVERYONE in Putnam seems to be obscuring facts, hiding secrets, or out-and-out lying.



In addition, for a small town, Putnam seems to have more than its share of trouble. First, Devine learns that Jenny's sister Alex was beaten and raped when she was sixteen, but has amnesia about the incident. The perpetrator was never caught, and the case is still open. Second, a married couple burned to death when their house caught fire, a tragedy that was attributed to an accident. And third, an elderly woman died horribly as a result of a hit-and-run that left her crawling in the road. The driver wasn't identiied, and was assumed to be an outsider. As things play out, a thread seems to connect all these incidents.

For his part, Devine, despite being a 'tough guy' former Army Ranger, has a caring nature. This makes him especially sympathetic to Jenny's beautiful sister Alex, a talented artist who's still isolated, frightened, and anxious because of the long ago rape.



In addition to Jenny's homicide, there are other troublesome things happening in Putnam. There's smuggling along the coast, with boats coming and going at night; fentanyl overdoses are rampant; a sniper is targeting people; someone seems to be tampering with evidence; Devine is being chased by assassins with foreign accents; and more.



The road to solving Jenny's murder is dangerous and convoluted, but Devine uses his considerable smarts, and also gets assistance from his handler, General Emerson - whom he consults frequently. Emerson has access to military files, drones, classified information, and so on, all of which is helpful.

I was entertained by the story, but it has flaws in my opinion. For instance, though everyone in Putnam is supposedly opposed to Devine's investigation, people are CONSTANTLY offering Travis coffee, tea, or drinks, and happily chatting away. Moreover, Travis gets too involved with Jenny's sister Alex, which would certainly be a no-no for a real Homeland Security Agent. Lastly, Devine's inquiry should have an urgent, top speed vibe, because the missing computer and phone could be in enemy hands. Instead, Travis's investigation appears to meander along with hardly a thought to the secret files.



Still, David Baldacci is a talented writer, and many thriller fans would probably enjoy the novel.

Rating: 3 stars