The Ghost Train and the Scarlet Moon

by Jack Roney

Labour Day, 1982 – a ‘super-blue-blood-moon’ looms high in the sky, thirty-five years since it last appeared. Three boys set out on an adventure, exploring the trail of a ghost train long since forgotten. One of the boys vanishes without a trace.

Years go by. The story fades. A retired detective never forgets.

Labour Day, 2017 – another of the trio goes missing. Searching for answers, Toby McIntyre sets out to uncover the truth behind the disappearances of his two best friends, exactly thirty-five years apart to the day. The train crash and the rare lunar event are somehow connected and reveal clues to solve the mystery. An unlikely link to the past holds the key.

Toby must sacrifice everything for a chance to be reunited with his friends and to change the course of history.

305 pages, Paperback

First published August 20, 2022

About the author

Jack Roney is a former detective and author of the crime thriller series 'The Angels Wept', 'The Demons Woke' and 'The Shadows Watch'. His writing is inspired by over 30 years in law enforcement where he gained experience in general policing, criminal investigation, strategic policy, media and communications and also as an operational skills/firearms and police academy instructor. He draws on his experience to bring authenticity and realism to his writing and to immerse the reader in fast-paced, gritty and emotionally charged stories. Jack has studied Police Leadership and Management, Justice Administration, Government Investigations, Training & Assessment and holds a Diploma in Public Safety & Policing. He is currently studying a Masters Degree in Writing Editing & Publishing at University of Queensland. An early edition of his first crime novel was shortlisted in the 2018 Watpad Awards. He completed the Qld Writers Centre Fishbowl Residency and is a graduate of Curtis Brown Creative and Brisbane Writers Workshop writing courses. His historical mystery novel 'The Ghost Train & The Scarlet Moon' was the runner up in the Hawkeye Manuscript Development Competition and led to his signing with Hawkeye Publishing. He lives with his family in Brisbane, Australia.

Reviews

[Ally Mc]

Wow wow wow my first speculative fiction and I loved it! Such a great story of friendship but with a super twist! Kept me enthralled from start to finish!

[Meesha]

Absolutely loved this book! One of my new favourites. I'm not usually into speculative fiction but this was fantastic. So well written and such a great story. This novel is a fascinating story based on historical events and is gripping from beginning to end. The author has spectacularly merged multiple events and time periods to form a story that, at its core, provides a beautiful depiction of mateship. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in stories based around friendship, history, science fiction, Australiana or adventure.

Full-length review: https://hawkeyebooks.com.au/review-by...

[Jenny Jefferies]

This book had me in from the beginning. Well written and good to see local connections and history featured. A lot of the time I felt as if I was living this journey with the young boys. Goosebumps sometimes when thing “dawned on me” and not ashamed I did she’d a tear in a couple of places. Loved it

[Annaleise Byrd]

I thoroughly enjoyed this clever, brain-bending time slip story. It taught me about a little-known local historical event - Queensland's worst rail disaster, the Camp Mountain train crash in 1947 - and got me fascinated enough to do my own research mid-story. The portrayal of young male friendship is heartwarming and the emotional arc of the story quite profound. Although the main character is 12 for the first quarter of the story, he is an adult for the remainder, so I feel this book is more likely to interest adults than children. (There are also some detailed descriptions of the train crash.) If you're into steam trains, time slip, lunar events, little-known historical events and/or you live in Brisbane, this book will be of particular interest!

[Troy Henderson]

Whilst a departure from Jack's police procedure action thriller angle of the Angels Wept and the rest of the Jarrod O'Connor series, I was surprised and blown away by this well crafted speculative fiction novel. The author captured childhood friendship and curiosity on par with Stephen King. As timelines shifted, he expertly weaved the past into the present, and the difficult aftermath of a life changing incident. Again, brilliant speculative fiction, an important resurrection of local history, and I look forward to reading more of Jack's ventures into this genre.

[Carolyn Martinez]

I live near Camp Mountain so it was really interesting seeing this part of local history weaved into this beautiful book. It's a lovely read about friendship, and the lengths we'll go to for friends. Definitely a page-turner. Highly recommend.

[Lauren Daniels]

I think historical fiction is the hardest genre to orchestrate. The story needs all the wheels spinning: just enough historical detail and accuracy to highlight a compelling plot; an authentic, dimensional cast who are products of their time as they engage readers of the present. Roney spins it all for this yarn. Such a fun read for young and older readers.

[Gretchen Bernet-Ward]

The book is based on a real train crash. Author Jack Roney depicts what happened on that fateful train trip in May 1947, a picnic day for families and friends, a journey which ended in a catastrophic derailing. There is one big difference. In May 1982, best mates Toby, Dan and Jimmy join their school class early to watch the super blue blood moon lunar eclipse. Later, exploring the old train site, they hear a train whistle; a steam train engine; Jimmy disappears. Dan is distressed and young Toby doesn’t understand where his friend has gone. His life becomes a nightmare “Jimmy just vanished” and the police are sceptical.

Decades later, enter adult Toby, a 2017 jetsetting travel writer returning from Peru. Toby’s research to find Jimmy becomes near-obsession to discover how and why his friend disappeared. Time-slip, wormhole, tear in the fabric of space, he believes Jimmy must be out there! But is a return possible after such a crash? Find out what he discovers; the clues are there. There are three time zones set in 1947, 1982 and 2017 for each lunar phenomena. Toby widens his research with unexpected help from his landlady Mrs Doherty. Meanwhile his other friend Dan had been doing his own research before he too mysteriously disappears.

I like Roney’s tweaks and turnarounds, his use of urban geography and emotion. As Toby gets closer to the truth “he tries to push doubts to one side, his mind swimming in an endless cycle of ponderance, his own chamber of worry, his hands clammy on the steering wheel.” I am sure teenage readers and speculative fiction fans would happily discuss plot nuances. Written in four parts with chapter illustrations, The Ghost Train and The Scarlet Moon is a well realised adventure story which invokes a strong sense of friendship, keeping an open mind, and never giving up. The final twist is clever and unexpected!

Detailed review my blog https://thoughtsbecomewords.com/2022/...

[Anne Freeman]

Have you ever kicked yourself for not jumping into a book on your TBR sooner?

Boy, am I doing that now that I've read THE GHOST TRAIN AND THE SCARLET MOON!

I'm not sure why I didn't pick it up when the first edition was released. Maybe I had convinced myself that it's "not my genre". The second edition is chugging its way to readers next March, so I thought I'd better not be left behind on the platform this time around!

This epic time-travel tale begins with Queensland's most devastating rail crash in 1947, leaps to a child's mysterious disappearance in 1982, gives a chance at redemption in 2017, before catapulting the reader into 2052. This nostalgic, time-bending book was by far the most fun I've had between the pages in recent memory.

I would describe this as BACK TO THE FUTURE meets JUMANJI, and, if that doesn't quicken your pulse, you may need a doctor.

Bravo, Jack Roney—this is a cracking adventure that not only tackles the space-time continuum but also manages to do so without even a whiff of a glitch or a time paradox! Every loose end is not only tied; it's double-knotted with a flourish!

[Judy Wollin]

I enjoyed this story. It is based on a real train crash and a vivid imagination. The story is fast-paced but detailed. There is time travel and movement back and forth between the date of the train crash in 1947 and the contemporary world and the future. This is well-managed and easy to follow.
Jimmy, Dan, and Toby are the best mates in Year Seven. The class witnesses a very early morning blue moon, and the boys ride off afterwards. They decide to visit the site of the train crash. To their astonishment, they hear the train, and Jimmy vanishes in the crash. Nobody believes Dan and Toby when they describe what happened, and the boys' friendship dissolves after Dan’s family moves away.
Toby’s high school years are lonely as he isolates himself from other people in order to stop the haunting tale of Jimmy’s disappearance. Eventually, as an adult, after hearing Dan has vanished, Toby sets out to find out what has happened to his friends.
Recommended for readers aged ten years or more.

[Bianca]

✍️This is the story of three boys and their friendship in 1982 as they go on an adventure to discover the trail of a ghost train long forgotten.

There were a few things that intrigued me about this book before I started reading it. I liked the vibrant cover design by Ellen Milligan which exuded an 80s quality as well as the intricate illustrations on each chapter by Paul O'Sullivan. I also liked that the story was inspired by the true events of Queensland's tragic Camp Mountain Train Crash in 1947 which killed 16 people and injured many others and of which to bring awareness and keep the memory alive. A beautiful and righteous tribute.

A stupendous and beautiful story with a graceful writing style, I was enthralled from start to finish. I couldn't put it down. I relished the cleverly crafted plot with its well developed characters and mysteriousness as well as the twists and turns throughout.

Highly recommend!

[David]

Thoroughly enjoyed this piece of fact-based fiction by a local author. Not a genre I'd usually pick up, but the link to a real event, albeit a tragic one, hooked me in and I'm so glad it did. Inspired by the tragic rail crash at Camp Mountain in 1947 (Queensland's worst, and Australia's second worst in terms fatailities and injuries) this time-bending tale of mystery, friendship, love, curiousity, had me wanting to read faster and faster. The locations in the story are local, and ones of which I am very familiar (abandoned rail tunnel, villages, the rail crash site etc) added a connection and local flavour for me, but it would be just as big a page-turner even if the reader was unfamiliar. The story changes direction unexpectedly a few times, but it’s done so cleverly that it only adds to mystery, and heightened desire to keep reading. Did not see the final twist coming for a second. A five-star read.

[Eileen O'Hely]

I'm a big fan of Jack Roney's detective series, and found myself enjoying this spec fic with historical overtones immensely. It helped that I was about the age of the boys in 1982, and knew all about the street cred of Apollo ten speed bikes! (Realising I lived through an era that is now historical did make me feel scarily old...)
The novel moves at a decent pace, flip-flopping between 35 year periods all based around the May labour day holiday in Queensland. The main character's childhood friend disappears to the sound of a train approaching at the crash site of Queensland's worst rail disaster 35 years previously. Another 35 years later, the protagonist - now a journalist turned travel blogger - tries to track down the oddly linked occurrences.
I enjoyed trying to guess the ties between people across the generations. Thoroughly recommended.

[Jo Skinner]

I read this book on a weekend camping trip. I really found myself drawn into the story, eager to find out what happens next. It is based on a true event, Queensland’s worst train disaster, giving the story elements of historical fiction with a little magic realism cleverly woven between the past and present. The story spans several time periods as we follow the friendship of three boys and the lengths one of them prepared to take when first one friend and then, thirty-five years later, a second one mysteriously vanish without a trace. The story is told through the voice of Toby McIntyre, now a journalist who pursues the disappearance of his school friends, determined to uncover the truth. This thoroughly enjoyable book has elements of 'Picnic at Hanging Rock,' but with a more satisfying ending. It had me guessing to the very last pages.

[Astrid Fick]

A speculative fiction set in Brisbane? Yes please!

I had attended a talk that Roney did and he spoke about this novel and something stuck with me. Not sure what it was but I had to keep my eyes peeled and immediately purchased a copy when I could.

Took me two days, actually, 4 hours (over two days) to finish this book. I was hooked at the prologue!

There was thrill, mystery, a drizzle of romance, and a strong sense of friendship.

If you want an incredible unputdownable time warp story, then you gotta have this one on your TBR. Turns out friendship can well and truly last a lifetime

[Kaye Reichmann]

Time travel is an interesting concept but in my opinion only possible in a book. I was intrigued to see how it ended and am not sure that I got it. That it is set in Brisbane and surrounds makes it easier to conjure up the places mentioned. Two editing errors -top line of page 59 in my edition - the casement window, ajar just a SLITHER: should be SLIVER and page 178 11th line “two elderly WOMAN”. Otherwise a good read. I would recommend it.

[Sarah Fisher]

This compelling story is superbly crafted. History is skilfully blended with the "other worldly". At it's heart though, this story is about the characters - as all great stories are. It addresses friendship, the choices we make, and the fragility of our reality. This is a story that will stay with me. I highly recommend it.

[Peter Schinkel]

A fantastic time travel story. Hooked from the start. Heartwarming, relatable characters had me burning to know what happened next. As the story progressed, what was already an enjoyable read, just kept getting better. Amazing descriptions of landscape and surroundings, with beautiful and poignant prose. Among the best speculative fiction novels I've read.

[Virginia Miranda]

Such a great read. I finished it in 4 days. A romance, a detective story, a time travel story, interspersed with historical fact. A little known train crash in Brisbane 1947, the central theme behind the story. All the sounds, sights and smells of a forgotten track and time. Elements of a fast paced adventure thriller.
Well worth the read.

[Steffani Armstrong]

I wanna say thanks to Hawkeye publishing for sending me this book as a eArc this was so good jack Rooney is an author I haven't read before so it was good to read a new author
not a book I would normally read or but overall good

[Shaun Messer]

I’m a 53M, and not a particularly avid reader. I was a bit worried about whether this book would be for me, as the title and the cartoon-ish illustrations sort of shouted teenage target audience.

Reading the initial pages seemed to confirm my concern, but I kept going because the back cover’s teased premise was intriguing and the historical links fascinated me also. As I got into the book more, I found the storyline compelling and I put any upfront reservations behind me. The more I read, the deeper involved I got. I began trying to forecast the coming twists but got surprised each time. Ended up being a masterfully composed piece of storylining.

I was definitely impressed with this book, but can also see how it is readily consumable by all age groups from teenagers to us old guys.