EXCLUSIVE: Veteran showrunner Jeff Rake (Manifest) has set his debut novel, Detour, teaming up with bestselling author Rob Hart (‘Assassins Anonymous’ series, The Paradox Hotel) to create a mind-bending sci-fi novel. The book, published by Random House Worlds, will be released on January 13. Deadline understands the title will also be taken out as a TV series.
Detour follows Ryan Crane, who unknowingly saves billionaire John Ward from an assassination attempt and is rewarded with the opportunity to join a group of astronauts on the first manned mission to Saturn’s moon Titan. The book chronicles the astronauts’ fight to return to their loved ones when the journey goes off-course, forever changing the lives of Ward and his crewmates.
Rake is known as the creator, executive producer, writer, and showrunner of the fan-favorite series 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.
“After twenty-plus years of making television, writing a novel turned out to be the terrifying yet exhilarating experience I didn’t know I needed,” shared Rake in a statement to Deadline. “Partnering with Rob has been a miracle and a joy. I hope we can collaborate forever. Like Manifest, the idea for Detour popped into my brain pretty much out of nowhere. I couldn’t be more excited for readers to jump onboard for the mystifying journey.”
Hart is the USA Today bestselling author of the “Assassins Anonymous” series, The Paradox Hotel, which was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award, and The Warehouse, which was translated into more than 20 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
“Working with Jeff has been a fantastic experience. The guy is a master storyteller, and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together—science fiction with a deeply-beating heart. Detour is a mystery box of a book, and I’m excited to watch readers peel back the layers to figure out exactly what’s going on… if they can,” said Hart.
Rake is represented by WME and JSSK.
