DETOUR by Jeff Rake and Rob Hart

4 stars

This launch of this new sci-fi series features a mix of professional astronauts and civilians selected for the longest space flight ever: circling around Saturn’s moon Titan. The authors both have serious sci-fi creds: Rake created the Netflix series Manifest and seasoned author Hart who wrote two books I loved: The Warehouse and The Paradox Hotel, among others.

The space trip is being sponsored by a billionaire, John Ward, who also happens to be running for U.S. President in a close approaching election. Working in conjunction with NASA, the mission centers around checking out Titan up close as the potential first colony of humans off Earth. Of the three astronauts, the most seasoned is a closet alcoholic, the youngest eager to prove his chops, and the third a calm, professional woman. The civilians include a scientist specializing in study Titan as a potential future human colony, a lottery winner who’s much smarter than he appears, and a cop who saved the billionaire’s life. All face leaving their personal lives behind for 2 years for the duration of the space mission – with back stories revealing the personal relationship threads of each of their lives, for better and for worse.

As their ship approaches Titan, a couple of mysterious explosions almost throw them off course as well as shutting down their communication modules. NASA manages to guide them to back to Earth, only for each of the ship’s crew upon touchdown to be hustled into isolation, and without a press conference and appearance by the billionaire who’s now President, in part due to his notoriety and success with the Titan mission.

Something seems off in each the personal worlds the astronauts enter, and what has caused this, along with potential nefarious doings by the President, pose a tangled mess. The book ends unexpectedly at a cliff-hanger ending setting up the next in this series.

What really is going on remains unclear and muddled in potential conspiracy theories.

Hopefully, the series’ next outing will shed light on what’s really going on.

Thanks to Del Ray, Random House Worlds, Inklore, and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.