Detour

A Novel

Hardcover
$29.00 US
| $39.00 CAN
On sale Jan 13, 2026 | 320 Pages | 9780593871379

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A space shuttle flight crew discovers that the Earth they’ve returned to is not the home they left behind in this emotional, mind-bending thriller from the creator of the hit Netflix series 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.
“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. Jeff Rake and Rob Hart have crafted an engaging and wonderfully puzzling first novel in a new series that sci-fi and psychological thriller fans will find intriguing and thought-provoking.” —Steve Netter, Best Thriller Books

“Propulsive and exciting from the very first page, Jeff Rake and Rob Hart’s Detour is a thrilling ride that is as timely as it is compelling!”—Jake Tapper, CNN anchor and New York Times bestselling author of The Hellfire Club

“A clever page-turner about opportunities, mistakes, and the alluring pull of going out there, Detour reads like the start of a very bingeable sci-fi series.”—Peter Clines, New York Times bestselling author of The Broken Room

“A fast-paced, cinematic space thriller with sympathetic characters that absolutely leap off the page and demand attention, Detour will leave you breathless, anxious, and questioning everything you know. I can't wait for part two!”—Delilah S. Dawson, New York Times bestselling author of The Violence
© Becca Light Rake
Jeff Rake recently served as creator, executive producer, writer, and showrunner for NBC/Netflix’s Manifest. He previously developed and executive produced The Mysteries of Laura, which aired for multiple seasons on NBC and in more than one hundred countries. His past credits include consulting producer on The CW’s Beauty and the Beast, TNT’s Franklin & Bash and Hawthorne, and Fox’s Bones. Rake also executive produced ABC’s Cashmere Mafia and Boston Legal, NBC’s Miss Match, and Fox’s The $treet. On the feature side, he has written screenplays for MGM and Disney. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their many children. View titles by Jeff Rake
© Michael McWeeney
Rob Hart is the USA Today bestselling author of the Assassins Anonymous series, as well as The Paradox Hotel, which was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award, and The Warehouse, which was translated into more than twenty languages. He also wrote the novella Scott Free with James Patterson, the comic book Blood Oath with Alex Segura, and the novel Dark Space, also with Segura. He lives in Jersey City. View titles by Rob Hart

About

A space shuttle flight crew discovers that the Earth they’ve returned to is not the home they left behind in this emotional, mind-bending thriller from the creator of the hit Netflix series 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.

Reviews

“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. Jeff Rake and Rob Hart have crafted an engaging and wonderfully puzzling first novel in a new series that sci-fi and psychological thriller fans will find intriguing and thought-provoking.” —Steve Netter, Best Thriller Books

“Propulsive and exciting from the very first page, Jeff Rake and Rob Hart’s Detour is a thrilling ride that is as timely as it is compelling!”—Jake Tapper, CNN anchor and New York Times bestselling author of The Hellfire Club

“A clever page-turner about opportunities, mistakes, and the alluring pull of going out there, Detour reads like the start of a very bingeable sci-fi series.”—Peter Clines, New York Times bestselling author of The Broken Room

“A fast-paced, cinematic space thriller with sympathetic characters that absolutely leap off the page and demand attention, Detour will leave you breathless, anxious, and questioning everything you know. I can't wait for part two!”—Delilah S. Dawson, New York Times bestselling author of The Violence

Author

© Becca Light Rake
Jeff Rake recently served as creator, executive producer, writer, and showrunner for NBC/Netflix’s Manifest. He previously developed and executive produced The Mysteries of Laura, which aired for multiple seasons on NBC and in more than one hundred countries. His past credits include consulting producer on The CW’s Beauty and the Beast, TNT’s Franklin & Bash and Hawthorne, and Fox’s Bones. Rake also executive produced ABC’s Cashmere Mafia and Boston Legal, NBC’s Miss Match, and Fox’s The $treet. On the feature side, he has written screenplays for MGM and Disney. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their many children. View titles by Jeff Rake
© Michael McWeeney
Rob Hart is the USA Today bestselling author of the Assassins Anonymous series, as well as The Paradox Hotel, which was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award, and The Warehouse, which was translated into more than twenty languages. He also wrote the novella Scott Free with James Patterson, the comic book Blood Oath with Alex Segura, and the novel Dark Space, also with Segura. He lives in Jersey City. View titles by Rob Hart
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