Publication Date: January 13th, 2026
Hardcover. 320 pages.
“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."
In the acknowledgments, Jeff Rake mentions that this story was originally as a TV show, and I think that really fits this book. If you liked the TV show Manifest, you will absolutely enjoy this one as well.
In Detour, we follow a group of six astronauts--three career astronauts, three civilians--who are sent up into space to take a close-up look at Saturn’s moon Titan which is currently being viewed as a potential future home for humanity. When the crew returns to Earth, however, they begin to notice that some things seem just a little… off. And they slowly realize that there may be a much larger conspiracy at play than they ever could have imagined… and that’s all I’m going to say because I don’t want to spoil anything!
Although The Detour is pitched as a thriller, there was actually a lot of build-up that took place before we ever got the “meat” of the plot itself and the more dramatic, sci-fi/thriller-heavy elements. I’m not necessarily surprised about this, though, as sending a group of people on a deep-space mission seems like something that would require a lot of setup in order to make the entire premise plausible.
Because of this, we spend a lot of time getting to know the six astronauts on this journey. As mentioned, they’re made up of three experienced astronauts: Della, Mike, and Alonso; and three civilians chosen for very different reasons: Ryan, a “hero cop” who stopped a terrorist attack/assassination attempt on the man funding the Titan mission; Padma, a scientist; and Stitch, a young lottery winner who suddenly finds himself on the trip of a lifetime. These characters all come from very different backgrounds and bring different strengths and weaknesses to that table, and they must all learn how to navigate those differences in order to become a team that can truly rely on one another--and survive two years stuck together in a spaceship. Space travel is no joke, the stakes are incredibly high, and trust is essential for everyone’s wellbeing.
I actually really appreciated how much time Rake and Hart spend establishing the chemistry and gradual connections among these characters. It would have been easy to just throw them all together and instantly have them hate each other or have certain characters form connections with some and not others, or to throw them together and have them instantly bond, which might be hard to believe. Instead, we actually get to see them struggle to learn how to trust one another and slowly work through that tension in some really interesting ways.
As you might be able to tell, this was far more character-driven than I expected. While I can’t say that I felt deeply connected to any of the characters in particular, I did find myself most intrigued by the POVs and backgrounds of Ryan, Stitch, and Alonso. The “villain” characters in this book felt a little bit cartoonish to me at times and I was particularly compelled by them at most points in the story, but I am still finding myself curious about what’s really going on with John Ward, the man behind it all.
I previously mentioned that many of the more intense developments and climactic moments don’t really kick in over halfway into the story, and I think that’s when it became clear to me that this was likely not the standalone I thought it was and that it was going to be part of a series (or at least have a sequel). I see that it’s listed as “#1” now on Goodreads, but I didn’t notice that before so this was a little frustrating to me at first, but I’m glad it gave the authors more time to develop the story. But again, if you go into this expecting a fast-paced sci-fi thriller right from the start, you may be disappointed, as it takes a while to get there.
Overall, this book very much feels like watching a TV show, both in how it unfolds and how it ends. I was a bit bummed by the cliffhanger-esque ending, but that being said, it did successfully make me really want to read the sequel. Is this the best sci-fi thriller involving twists and alternate realities? No. But it is ultimately compelling and one I’ll definitely continue reading because I very much need to know what happens next. I do genuinely think this would make for a great adaptation, so maybe it’ll get that green light still one day. (Also, I loved the little Easter egg nod to Rob Hart when Stitch spots a book on a shelf titled Assassin’s Anonymous.)
