It’s my turn today on the Lunar blog tour – the sequel to Mind Guerilla and Club 27 – with thanks to the author and Zoé of Zooloo’s Book Tours. Before I share the exclusive extract I have for you today, here’s a bit about the book…
Blurb: Amidst ancient stories of prowling werewolves, the Lunar Society would meet under the light of a full moon to change the face of industry and enlightenment forever. When the discovery of a human skeleton at one of their old haunts coincides with the disappearance of a talented female prodigy, Private investigator Judd Stone is certain that the two are connected.
Travelling as far afield as Prague and as close as his native city of Birmingham, Judd includes past life regressions in an attempt to unlock the explosive age-old mystery and rescue the missing girl.
With a cloud descending over the treasured legacy of the Lunar Society, Judd quickly finds himself embroiled in a shockingly dark underworld of organised crime. So dark in fact he will need a lot more than the light of a full moon to escape with his life.
Now, without further stalling, here’s a sneak peek from inside the pages:
Lunar Extract #3
Judd looked a little stunned. What on earth was the woman saying? How could the skeletal discovery have been Vina Moreno when she was sitting right in front of him?
“Please don’t think I’m crazy,” said Vina.
“No, no of course I don’t. Perhaps a little confused. Please elaborate, you have my full attention.”
“These dreams I speak of, I’ve had all of my life. As I said, they never used to make much sense. But now I know that my music guided me to Birmingham as my destiny, so that I can begin to understand. With the discovery of the skeleton, it’s starting to make some sense to me. But I need more and the police, as you say, are not interested in understanding who the victim is.”
“I did read somewhere that the discovery is thought to have been a murder, obviously from a number of centuries ago.”
“I would like you to find out who the victim of this murder is Judd, because I’m convinced it is me in a former life.”
“Oh, I see.” At least Judd thought he did.
“Have you heard of past life regression, Judd?”
“Yes, though I’m hardly an expert.”
“Well I’ve tried many things over the years to try and understand what it is that I see. For example, I’ve tried dream analysis and meditation but they never really revealed a lot. But recently I began to undergo past life regressions and they have really helped to bring some clarity to my dreams.”
“This sounds really interesting,” encouraged Judd genuinely.
“Past-life regression hasn’t told me specifically who I was back then, but when I have regressed, I have been able to see a very rural landscape with a church in the distance. However, right next to me there is also a chapel which hosts a diamond brick design. This chapel is near a very beautiful and grand house.
“The house itself has an arched doorway and this doorway is very gothic in appearance. I know only through my regression that I am familiar with the house’s strawberry hill architectural style; this is not something I would ordinarily know.
“Other times I often find myself sitting in a large dining room with the smells of meat and potatoes cooking. I sit at the table with many men, no women, and they dress more smartly than most. Curiously the accents vary and I recognise at least one of them to be Scottish.
“The house has beautiful landscaped gardens and even a lake nearby.
“It is only now, through the discovery of the skeleton and the recent publicity that it has attracted, that I am sure that it is Great Barr Hall where I have been during my regressions.”
Judd took a deep breath to help process the information. “Wow, this is truly fascinating, Vina.”
“You don’t think I’m mad?”
“Not for a second.”
Vina looked relieved. “Good, because it’s about to get a little crazier.”
Judd smiled reassuringly. “I can’t wait. Please, do go on.”
“Well, there are also a few, how do you say, items that dominate my thoughts and they have always featured in my dreams…” Vina hesitated. “You really don’t think I’m crazy?”
“No, please. I’m really intrigued. I’m hanging on your every word, Vina.”
“I see a full moon and a vicious dog. Why, I can’t explain. I also see a woman, but she is in portraits only. I do not know her personally, but I am aware that she is a female saint. St Margaret of Antioch.
“As well as visions I experience powerful smells, like the smell of musk sometimes. In the dining room I smell cooked food, but I also get a contrasting smell that I can only describe as red-hot metal or something like that.
“All of my senses seem very much alive during my regressions. The scariest part is when I start to feel overwhelming pain in my body coupled with an almighty sense of claustrophobia. I know that I must have come to harm in this past life and this is always at the point that I wake up – whether I’m sleeping naturally or during a regression.
“So, perhaps you can understand how I became very interested when I learned of the discovery of this skeleton that had been found in a confined space in Great Barr Hall?”
“Yes, indeed. Particularly as you have been having this sensation of claustrophobia and the way the body had been stored. Listen Vina, I’d have to research further some of the things that you are describing but I can certainly recognise parallels with Great Barr Hall. You see, I know that the location of the victim’s interment has stirred a lot of local curiosity and raised questions about the Lunar Society.”
“The Lunar Society?”
“You’ve not heard of them?”
Vina shook her head.
“Well, I reckon the Lunar Society are the gathering of men that you are describing in the dining room.”
“Really?”
“Yes. They were a bunch of chaps that would use the light of the full moon to guide them to the places where they would choose to meet, Great Barr Hall being one of them. Soho House about three miles on from Great Barr in Handsworth is another one.
“The Lunar Society were a collective of brilliant minds made up of scientists, entrepreneurs, philosophers, industrialists and innovators of the time. You may have heard of James Watt for example? Watt was a member of the Lunar Society who revolutionised the wide use of steam engines amongst other things. He was Scottish by the way so maybe he is one of the voices that you heard speak. None of this may sound very exciting and perhaps even a little geeky, Vina, but the Lunar Society were to innovative industrialisation, manufacturing and engineering as to what The Beatles were to music. Or in your case, what Mozart and Beethoven were to music.”
“I may be a classical musician but just like any other musician I still dig the Beatles. This Lunar Society sound pretty special too, but for reasons other than music.”
“They certainly have a lasting and important legacy, but this discovery of the skeleton has now placed a shadow over their success because people are suggesting they must have known something about the murder.”
“Do you know what, Judd? You talking about them now makes things even clearer for me. I knew that you were the right person to help me.”
“You’ve really never heard of The Lunar Society.”
“No.”
“I guess there’s no reason why you should necessarily, I’m not sure if the Industrial Revolution is on the Spanish school curriculum.”
“Outside of music I was never really much interested in other subjects.”
“Fair enough. PE was the only subject I was ever interested in, but I do remember learning about the Lunar Society in History. I’m certainly no expert on them though.
“PE?”
“Physical Education. Sports.”
“Ahh, ok.”
“Listen Vina, personally I believe what you have told me about your dreams and this past life regression stuff, but is it possible that you could just be recalling events that you’ve read or heard about? I could research this murder, but I can’t guarantee that I can prove that it was you in a previous life. I don’t want to take your money just to put a name to a body that was, let’s be frank, killed centuries ago. Who really cares?”
Vina reacted somewhere between desperate and annoyed. “I care. I know it is me from a previous life. No question. You are a private investigator, so I want to hire you to find out what my name was. I have the money to pay you. It’ll be worth it to me.”
“I really do sympathise, but the thing is Vina, I’m pretty busy already. I have a very personal matter that I need to investigate and that’s going to take up a lot of my time. I’d love to help but I’m not sure that I’m prepared to spend a lot of hours on an age-old case.”
Vina looked down at the floor.
“I’m sorry, Vina,” said Judd. “I really am.”
“Well what if I told you that the dreams I have been having have evolved lately? They are pointing at something very scary and very important that is happening today, never mind hundreds of years ago. What if I pay you to solve a very real case that is happening right now? But only if you promise to holistically help me with the murder of Great Barr Hall as well. There may be a connection, somehow.”
“The Murder of Great Barr Hall. Got a good ring to it that has Vina. Like a book or a film. Or both. But what do you mean something happening now?”
“Like I said. I need you to investigate something that is happening right now.”
“Well I guess that depends on how serious it is, like I said I’m very busy investigating something that is very personal to me.”
“Well is my 17-year-old cousin being in danger serious enough for you?”
Martin Tracey is an author who likes to push the boundaries of reality. Even when injecting elements of the supernatural, the terror that grips you is very real. Not necessarily a genre specific author, psychological thrills are a plenty.
He has a passion for The Beatles & Wolverhampton Wanderers FC. Both music and football/soccer often find their way into his stories.
Martin lives in Birmingham, UK and is married with 2 daughters.
Follow him at:
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/MartinTracey1
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Martin-Tracey/e/B009ANTBWG/
Blog: http://www.martintracey.co.uk
Lunar is available on Amazon right now.
Don’t forget to check out the other blog stops on the tour for more great reviews and content (see the poster below for details)!
Bookshine And Readbows 
Thank you for sharing this intriguing extract today and for being a part of the tour x
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