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.

I snagged this audiobook because the synopsis sounded cool and then ended up glued to it because it’s way more fun than I expected.

The setup kicks off with Ryan Crane, a regular cop who stumbles into the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up stopping an assassination attempt on billionaire John Ward. Ward is obsessed with space travel, dreams of colonizing Titan, and is also running for president. That combination already feels uncomfortably familiar. The “billionaire with space toys and political ambitions” angle lands a little too close to reality, which gives the story an extra edge right out of the gate.

As a reward for saving his life, Ward offers Ryan a spot on a groundbreaking mission to Titan alongside veteran astronauts and a handful of civilians. Ryan is a devoted husband and father, especially to his disabled son, and the financial incentive attached to the mission makes the decision complicated in a relatable way. That emotional grounding is one of the book’s strengths.

The book spends a good chunk of time letting us get to know the crew before they ever leave Earth. We meet astronauts, a few engineers, and everyday people who were selected for the mission, and while I did find myself itching for the launch to happen sooner, that setup ends up being necessary. By the time things go sideways, you actually care about these people. There are quite a few characters, but I never had trouble keeping them straight. Each one feels distinct, with their own pros and cons.

Once the crew reaches Titan’s orbit and disaster strikes, the story shifts gears fast. Explosions, quick thinking, and survival instincts take over, and when the crew finally returns to Earth as heroes, it feels like the worst is behind them. Of course, that’s when the real story begins.

The Earth they come back to is not quite the one they left. Some changes are subtle. Others are deeply unsettling. Lavish upgrades to their homes come with strings attached. Mysterious figures start following them. Communication becomes difficult, then impossible. The sense of paranoia builds steadily, and the book does a great job of keeping you off balance as the crew tries to piece together what happened while they were gone.

What really worked for me is how the speculative elements are balanced with real-world concerns. Power, money, control, and political ambition all play a role here. The sci-fi concepts are interesting, but they never overshadow the human cost of what’s happening. This isn’t just a story about space travel. It’s about what people are willing to sacrifice, who gets to make those decisions, and who pays the price.

I listened to this on audiobook, and Max Meyers does an excellent job with the narration. He keeps the pacing tight, handles the multiple characters smoothly, and adds tension without overdoing it. It’s a great format for a story that moves as quickly as this one does.

This is a wild, entertaining ride that blends speculative fiction, sci-fi, and thriller elements in a way that’s easy to sink into. It’s smart without being heavy. I had a lot of fun with this one, and I’m absolutely looking forward to the next installment.

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