J.M. "Mike" Hayes was born in Kansas. He was a graduate student studying archaeology at Wichita State University when he joined the National Science Foundation project that inspired The Spirit and the Skull. He lives in Arizona now, and has written seven other books - the six Mad Dog & Englishman Mysteries and The Grey Pilgrim.www.jmhayes-author.com
Well written first novel....Filled with bits of Indian lore, peopled with memorable characters, and written with a deft humorous touch.-- "Publishers Weekly"
YA-- Set against the backdrop of World War II, Hayes' powerful novel is based on the Papago Indians' rebellion of October 16, 1940 against the U. S. government's attempts to register young native American men for the draft. In the village of Stohta U'uhig, Jujul and his small tribe engage in a gun battle with the representative from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Determined not to be drafted by a country that does not respect their civil rights, the tribe flees into the Arizona desert. Deputy Marshal Fitzpatrick's attempts to find the Papagos and defuse the situation are complicated by his attraction to anthropologist Mary Spencer. Meanwhile, half-way around the world the Japanese are dispatching Captain Kozo Sasaki to arm the Indians and foment unrest. In the final confrontation, Hayes' characters reveal a strong sense of personal honor and integrity amid human weakness. --Grace Baun, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA
This well-written first novel is based on an actual incident in 1940: a recalcitrant Papago Indian chief defied the U.S. government by refusing to register the young men of the tribe under the new Selective Service Act, and disappeared into the desert with his followers. Here, Jujul and his tribe become renegades following a similar incident with an obtuse and arrogant official from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and U.S. marshall J. D. Fitzpatrick is sent in to mediate. A Spanish Civil War veteran still traumatized by his experience, Fitzpatrick finds his attention drawn more strongly to beautiful, young--and married--anthropologist Mary Spencer than to Jujul. In a nicely handled plot twist, the young woman ends up living with the tribe as an observer, without realizing their identities. Disaster strikes when a Japanese agent provocateur arrives on the scene to aid, abet and incite the Indian ``revolution.'' A violent and bloody confrontation is the inevitable result, leading to an ironic and bittersweet conclusion. Filled with bits of Indian lore, peopled with memorable characters and written with a deft humorous touch, the novel eventually surmounts the loss of tension occasioned by an overzealous use of flashbacks. (Aug.)
Well written first novel....Filled with bits of Indian lore, peopled with memorable characters, and written with a deft humorous touch.-- "Publishers Weekly"
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