David Baldacci is one of the most effortlessly accomplished novelists in
the crime and thriller field at work today, and his new book,
The Sixth Man,
is one of his most engaging outings, representing some of his best
work. His long-term protagonists, private investigators Sean King and
Michelle Maxwell, are confronted with a considerable challenge when
serial killer Edgar Roy is apprehended and incarcerated in a psychiatric
unit. The King/Maxwell duo are called in by the supposed murderer’s
lawyer (who has known Sean King for years) to check the details of the
case. But things take a nasty turn very early on – even as Sean and
Michelle are en route to meet the lawyer, the latter is killed – and it
the duo who discover his corpse. Multiple problems begin to present
themselves: is Edgar Roy really the psychopathic monster he is supposed
to be? But their investigation, far from unveiling the truth, begins to
throw up ever more insurmountable obstacles, with every new lead turning
into a dead end. And as things become ever more tricky, even the
unshakable loyalty between Sean and Michelle is to be tested to the
limit.
