I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Detour by Jeff Rake, Rob Hart Series: Detour #1
Published by Random House Worlds on January 13 2026
Genres: Adult, Science fiction
Pages: 320
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Detour takes standard sci-fi tropes and twists them into a unique and outrageously entertaining story, complete with well developed characters and surprising emotional moments.
The premise of Detour starts out in familiar territory: a rich billionaire is trying to fund the first trip to Saturn’s moon Titan, in hopes of finding a viable future home for humans. But the story takes a sharp left at about the 70% mark and ends up in a completely different place. For this reason I won’t be going into the plot too much, since the surprise is fantastic! Also, please avoid the story blurb, as it’s full of spoilers. Go into this as blind as possible, you won’t regret it.
The story takes place in Washington D.C. in 2031. John Ward is an Elon Musk-type entrepreneur whose latest venture is trying to get astronauts to Saturn, where their task will be to plant a satellite near the moon Titan so scientists back home can study it. He’s also hoping to run for president, and if the Titan project is a success, he’s sure to win the election. Six people will make the two year trip—one year each way—including Padma Singh, the astrophysicist in charge of the Titan Colonization Project; NASA astronauts Mike Seaver, Alonso Cardona and Della Jameson; lottery winner Stitch, a young artist who is smarter than everyone realizes, and finally Ryan Crane, a D.C. cop who averts an assassination attempt on John Ward by accident (after which he’s personally recruited by Ward).
After weeks of training, the Starblazer crew leaves Earth, and everything goes smoothly—until they reach Titan’s orbit. A technical malfunction puts the crew in danger, and they wonder if they’ll even make it home to their loved ones.
Although Detour is penned by two different authors, the writing felt seamless and smooth, unlike other dual author books I’ve read. Kudos to Jeff Rake and Rob Hart for pulling it off! I mentioned that the “real” story doesn’t start until about 70% in, but that’s not to say the first 70% is lacking in tension or an interesting plot. The authors take their time setting up each of the main characters’ situations—who their significant others are, their backgrounds, etc.—so that when things kick into high gear and the story takes a surprising turn, you understand where they are coming from and why all those details are so important.
Each of the other characters is well drawn with interesting backstories and motivations. Ryan was probably my favorite character. He’s an upstanding cop who refused to get involved in a corrupt scheme, which resulted in him being shunned by his fellow cops. Padma is a brilliant scientist on the spectrum, and I liked the way her neuro divergence is portrayed. Her ex boyfriend plays a part later in the story as well. Stitch is a young Black man, a talented artist who has gained a negative reputation for tagging. He also had the chance to make money by selling an app he developed, but decided to give it away for free instead. Mike is an alcoholic, which becomes important later in the story. Della is also having relationship problems, and Alonso is a closeted bisexual who is cheating on his wife with a man named Ethan. There are some great villains in the story as well. I liked the way John Ward starts out as a sympathetic character—you really believe he is trying to save humanity—but soon the cracks begin to show, and I daresay any reader who is aware of our current political situation will (unfortunately) recognize what a sleazeball he really is. It all sounds very dramatic and soapy, but you’ll understand why once you read the book.
The authors set up several intriguing side plots in the first part of the story, all of which come into play in interesting ways later on. Really, there was never a dull moment. And yes, we do get to see the characters on the Starblazer, working together in space to solve problems that come up. Surprisingly, these scenes were my least favorite, until something happens on their trip to change things. This is where the story takes a weird turn and when I really became invested in the characters. Rake and Hart add some environmental issues to their story as well, emphasizing that global warming is a real thing and humanity is in grave danger.
You will need to suspend your disbelief in places, however. Some of the situations are sort of ridiculous—why would a known alcoholic astronaut be allowed to go on a two year space mission, for example—but I mostly brushed these aside because I was having so much fun. The climax is a fast-paced nail biter, and the authors do a great job of mixing sci-fi and thriller elements. The story ends on a cliffhanger, which makes me wonder how soon the next book will be published—clearly, not soon enough! Detour was a blast from start to finish, don’t miss it.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
I guess a known alcoholic astronaut could be allowed to go on a long mission if there’s definitely not going to be any alcohol available…? But it’d be rough to get through the psychological assessments that are usually considered necessary, I’d imagine. I’m getting curious abotu this one!
I won’t spoil it, but the alcoholic character turns out to be very smart and resourceful…
It’s always great to see a book that’s written by two authors where the writing feels smooth. I love that! Also always enjoy a good scifi book where there’s never a dull moment. Great review, Tammy!
Thanks Stephanie! I was so impressed with how the two authors worked together.
Everyone is raving about this book! I need to read it A.S.A.P!
Yes, you should!
Thanks for the warning that this one ends on a cliffhanger. I hate not knowing that going in. Maybe I’ll wait to read this one until the sequel comes out. It does sound very good though.
Waiting is going to be tough, lol.
This sounds fantastic. I’m not big into sci-fi but I really fancy this, even with the cliffhanger ending.
Lynn 😀
I think it would make a great TV show:-)
Great review! I loved this too! But yes, a major suspension of disbelief is needed in certain area — like giving civilians only five weeks of training before sending them into space for two years! Then again, with the billionaire controlling the funding, I suppose he could force NASA to go against normal protocols. What a blast! But I’m dying for the next book.
Yes, the short training period was so funny! And when they get up there they seem to be experts at everything, lol. But still a lot of fun!
All the reviews for this have definitely made it sound interesting. Great review!
https://lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io/2026/01/15/e-galley-review-hart-street-lane-return-to-dublin-street-3-by-samantha-young/
Thanks Lisa!
Excellent review without spoiling. We shared many similar feelings about it. I have no intel yet on the second book yet though.
I keep searching for something on the second book. You would think with such a big cliffhanger they would already have book 2 ready to go!
Excellent review that completely sold me lol. Thanks, Tammy!
Thanks Marian!
I didn’t think this one would be for me but I have to admit that you’ve got me intrigued. Im curious to discover what turn the plot takes and I think the varied cast of characters sounds interesting. Its just the need to suspend your disbelief that has me a bit concerned. I think I’ll put this on my maybe TBR for now and circle back to it once I’ve tried some of the sci fi titles I’ve singled out to dip my toes into the genre. Great review, as always.
For me, the entertainment value outweighed the “suspension of disbelief” moments:-)
wow, sounds fabulous! Ah, another synopsis full of spoilers. Why on earth??
This synopsis was pretty bad! I’m shocked at how it reveals almost everything.
You’ve got me curious about this one. I love a good sci-fi that manages to weave in some great characters. I likely would get annoyed at some of the harder to believe elements, like the alcoholic being allowed on the mission, but I’m hopeful, like you, it wouldn’t be enough to derail my enjoyment. Perhaps I’ll give it a try one of these days and see.
The story and characters were good enough that I could block out those annoyances!
So glad you enjoyed this, too! I agree, some things were a little bit of a stretch haha, but it’s a fun and interesting enough time that it still worked. I never understand why blurbs give away so much–I feel like the suspense would’ve been so much stronger if I had no idea what was going to happen at all in space/etc. Great review!
Great to hear! I can’t wait to try this one for myself. 🙂
Ugh i hate when blurbs spoil the book, whyyy?! lol This book sounds so intriguing, I’m interested but I will follow your advice.
Superb review, Tammy! Yes… I ground my teeth a bit at the notion that an astronaut with a known drink problem would be allowed anywhere NEAR such a crucial trip. That said – I suspended my disbelief for the sake of finding out what is going on… Which is a testament to the strength of the story:)).
This is a great review! And the book seems well built and intriguing. I hate cliffhangers but all the rest sounds pretty good!
Sorry to be negative, but I am more than halfway through the book and would be much happier if there wasn’t so much sentimental nonsense. Characters are cliches (the alcoholic, the noble cop, the bad boy black kid, the brainy Asian, the man struggling with sexual identity). Too bad because the concept for the book is intriguing.
Hey, I get it. I hope it gets better for you!