Morcan Books & Films

“An exciting New Zealand outdoors adventure!” That’s how Amazon Hall of Fame Top 100 reviewer Grady Harp describes the new release, crime-based adventure High Country Contract, written by Lance & James Morcan and published this week by Sterling Gate Books.

Harp’s Amazon review follows (below) unabridged:

Crime-based adventure resonates with critic.

The Morcans know how to deliver intrigue, both on scientific subjects and most assuredly on suspense thrillers. They invite us in with their story with and introduction to New Zealand and the chief character Arch Quaid:

‘Twenty-five-year-old Arch Quaid along with other MOEs (Members of the Unemployed) surveyed the latest job vacancies at Work and Income New Zealand’s Christchurch office. It was a routine he’d become used to since winter’s arrival had seen unskilled workers like himself laid off. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but the number of unemployed seemed to increase each day and the list of vacancies seemed to decrease proportionately…Resigned to remaining unemployed for another day at least, the young Kiwi left the WINZ office and headed for a nearby café that currently served as his home away from home…’

With that flavor of credible authenticity the story proceeds – we learn that Arch endured an injury to his right leg while yearning to launch a rugby career, and that he is a loner following a family schism.

He meets Sam Bartlett who presents him with a deer culling contract on a high country property bordering the Southern Alps (named Rocky Mountain High), he meets the Maori girl Janine, and the story begins. Or as the authors describe it, ‘Young Kiwi drifter Arch Quaid thinks he has landed the contract of his life when he’s hired to cull deer on a high country property in the South Island of New Zealand. He quickly changes his mind when he discovers he’s the hunted, not the hunter. Caught up in the middle of it all is his new love Janine, a beautiful Maori girl, who will likely be the killer’s next target if Arch doesn’t overcome the most daunting of odds.’

This is a tense thriller, beautifully written with wholly credible characters and many twists and turns that keep the reader magnetized. HIGH COUNTRY CONTRACT proves once again that the Morcans are a very fine writing team.

This is a tale that pleads to be a film – and perhaps that will happen, as James is also a screenwriter! Highly recommended. -Grady Harp

High Country Contract can be viewed on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VWP6FHD/  

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Los Angeles-based reviewer Grady Harp is the author of WAR SONGS, an artist representative, gallery owner, writer of essays and articles on Figurative and all Representational art for museum catalogues and for travelling exhibitions.

Hall of Famer Grady Harp.

In his words: “My passion is for Figurative painting and in that role I gladly accept the opportunity of introducing both experienced and inexperienced eyes to the joy of the visual arts. In painting and sculpture, in music, and in literature I am ever on the alert for the new and promising geniuses of tomorrow. I feel the future of the arts is in the journey toward finding Beauty.”

More about Grady Harp at: http://fictionaut.com/users/grady-harp

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