ROUNDABOUT by Jeff Rake and Rob Hart

4 stars

The second book in this sci-fi Detour series centers on parallel universes. A mix of professional astronauts and civilians circled Saturn’s moon Titan on a two-year space mission only to return to an Earth similar, but profoundly different, from their own.

Billionaire, John Ward, sponsored the Titan space trip, who based on the success of the mission has been elected U.S. President. He seems to know what is going on, and disappears once the astronauts return home, much to the White House’s and his Vice President’s dismay.

Of the three astronauts on the mission, 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 young lottery winner who’s much smarter than he appears, and a cop who saved the billionaire’s life.

As their ship approached Titan, a couple of mysterious explosions threw them off course as well as shut down their communication modules. NASA managed to guide them to back to Earth. But details and relationships have shifted in the personal worlds the astronauts enter, and nefarious power ambitions by the President seem to be behind it all.

The space team goes on the run, hunted down by private mercenaries hired by John Ward. At the same time, the general population of Earth starts have differing memories of history that cause increasingly riotous protests.

Bottom line: still unclear about all that’s happening outside of definitely involving parallel universes and advanced physics, the book ends on a cliff hanger setting up the third book in the series.

Thanks to Del Ray, Random House, Inklore and NetGalley for an advance 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.