Mantracker

Mike's grandfather raises him on the North Fork Indian Reservation in California, teaching him the Indian ways and history of the tribe, how to track animals, and how to cover up his tracks. But when he gets older, Mike wants to become a professional motorcycle racer--something that Mike doesn't have. He tries to get a mechanic's job in a motorcycle shop to increase his chances of obtaining sponsorship, but there are no openings. Instead, Mike's search lands him a civil service job that leads to romance and life-threatening experiences in Laos, where he earns his Indian name, Mantracker. It turns out to be the most turbulent ride of his life.

Quality of life is measured by each individual's rules. There are cases like Mike Wa-Heakley's where a short life would have been a blessing. Mantracker follows this stubborn and driven, yet innocent and naive man, from his childhood in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California to the dark steaming jungles of Southeast Asia.

Mike Ray was born in 1943 and lived in the Sierra Nevadas with his grandfather until age thirteen. He has traveled extensively, and writes adventure novels about the places that he visits. He now lives and writes in Oregon. Ray's time spent working on a military base in Laos as a civilian provided the inspiration for his adventure, thriller novel, Mantracker.