THE CHINESE GIRL, does what it takes to make good Western stories. This collection contains inter-related stories with grizzly story tellers who keep their youthful audiences enthralled, surprise endings, and two novella-length tales of steely determination and, just perhaps, a little vengeance. These stories read like a cross between "Gunsmoke" and "Have Gun, Will Travel."


Michael Matson was born in Helena, Montana (the city formerly known as Last Chance Gulch), shortly after the death of the last plains buffalo. After college, the army shipped him off to Oklahoma, where he discovered mud and tarantulas. He later moved to Seattle and worked as a writer for film and television. His books include The Dancing Boy and Fair Game, mysteries, Freedom’s Price and Greed, The Chinese Girl and Other Western Short Stories, and for children, The Diamond Tree and Dancer on Horseback. He is married to Tai Medina and divides his time between Mexico and Texas.