ARC Review: Detour by Jeff Rake & Rob Hart

Detour
Author: Jeff Rake & Rob Hart
Series: Detour (Book 1)
Publication: Random House Worlds (January 13, 2026)

Description: A space shuttle flight crew discovers that the Earth they’ve returned to is not the home they left behind in the first book of this emotional, mind-bending thriller series from the creator of the hit Netflix show Manifest and the bestselling author of The Warehouse.

“If The Martian and The Twilight Zone had a baby, it would be Detour—a thriller that messes with your head as you scramble to piece together what’s really going on.”—Steve Netter, Best Thriller Books

Ryan Crane wasn’t looking for trouble—just a cup of coffee. But when this cop spots a gunman emerging from an unmarked van, he leaps into action and unknowingly saves John Ward, a billionaire with presidential aspirations, from an assassination attempt.

As thanks for Ryan’s quick thinking, Ward offers him the chance of a lifetime: to join a group of lucky civilians chosen to accompany three veteran astronauts on the first manned mission to Saturn’s moon Titan.

A devoted family man, Ryan is reluctant to leave on this two-year expedition, yet with the encouragement of his loving wife—and an exorbitant paycheck guaranteeing lifetime care for their disabled son—he crews up and ventures into a new frontier.

But as the ship is circling Titan, it is rocked by an unexplained series of explosions. The crew works together to get back on course, and they return to Earth as heroes.

When the fanfare dies down, Ryan and his fellow astronauts notice that things are different. Some changes are good, such as lavish upgrades to their homes, but others are more disconcerting. Before the group can connect, mysterious figures start tailing them, and their communications are scrambled.

Separated and suspicious, the crew must uncover the truth and decide how far they’re willing to go to return to their normal lives. Just when their space adventure seemingly ends, it shockingly begins.

My Thoughts: This book has an ensemble cast. John Ward, the richest man in the world and Presidential candidate, is planning a trip to Titan as a possible solution to Earth's climate woes. He is partnered with NASA who is supplying three veteran astronauts. Ward is supplying Stitch who won a lottery to go along, Padma who is the astrophysicist behind the trip to Titan rather than Mars, and Ryan who is a police officer who foiled an assassination attempt on Ward. 

The astronauts include the Mission Commander who happens to be an alcoholic, an experienced Black woman astronaut, and a new young astronaut who is hiding his bisexuality. 

This group of six has only five weeks to jell as a team before they take off for Titan. Their very different personalities are shown as they try to meld into a team. They make it to Titan though they have some problems as they are getting ready to circle to moon and launch the satellite that will send data back to Earth. A couple of explosions wreck their previous excellent communication with Earth, but they do make it home.

Things are odd once they arrive back on Earth. The six are kept separate and the Welcome Home festivities are truncated. They notice that their phones and computers are being tapped. They also notice that the Earth they have returned to isn't the one they left. They are left to find a way to determine what happened to them and to Earth while trying to keep away from now-President Ward and his henchmen. 

Then this episode ends... It has a major cliffhanger of an ending leaving everything unresolved. Our heroes are not all together and those who are together are on the run. 

I became very invested in this story and these characters. I can't wait for the next volume for some resolution. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.