The 9:20 Man by David Baldacci

 
Travis Devine thought he'd be a career Army man.  But when another soldier dies under suspicious circumstances, Travis is tainted and resigns.  Looking around at what to do with his life now, he uses his MBA to get a job at a prestigious investment firm in Manhattan.  At least his father will be happy as that is what he always wanted Travis to do.  Travis, however, hates the job and is bored to death.

Every morning he catches the 6:20 train in from the outlying suburb where he shares a townhouse with three roommates.  There is a Russian immigrant who is a computer whiz, a woman who just finished law school and is prepping for the bar exam and another woman who has her own business, a dating service.  They all seem focused and into their careers while Travis is just putting in time.  The highlight of the day is when the train stops along the way and the passengers can see a swimming pool at one of the mansions.  Some days they are lucky and a beautiful woman in a bikini is out taking the sun.

Travis may have gone along like this for years, but one day he gets an anonymous email saying only 'She is dead'.  When he gets to the office, he realizes that the 'she' is a woman who worked there; a woman Travis had been briefly romantically involved with.  That's enough that the police home in on him as a suspect.  To complicate things, his former general calls him in and tells him that he needs Devine to work as an undercover agent as the government suspects the firm of financial crimes that could undermine the nation.  Beset on two sides, Devine sets out to find the killer.  He is aided by the woman in the bikini as it turns out the mansion is that of Devine's boss and the bikini woman his mistress.  Can they solve the murder?

This is the first novel in a new series by David Baldacci and Travis Devine is a new main character.  I wasn't entranced by Travis but anything Baldacci writes will be compelling and draw the reader along at an irresistible pace.  The mystery evolves to include each of  Devine's roommates in various ways and the relationship between him and the mistress grows slowly but surely.  I listened to this novel and the narrator did an excellent job.  This book is recommended for thriller fans.