OR

Print List Price:	$9.99
Kindle Price:	$2.99 Save $7.00 (70%)
Sold by:	Amazon.com Services LLC

Promotions apply when you purchase

Add an

audiobook with Audible narration for $7.49

Audiobook Price: $13.08

Save: $5.59 (43%)

Read with our free app

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.

Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

There was an error. We were unable to process your subscription due to an error. Please refresh and try again.

Follow the author

Sugar Lee Ryder

+ Follow

More books from this author

The Gaslight Gunslinger: Book One of Gunslinger Matthew Slade: A Gritty Western Adventure Series Kindle Edition

by Sugar Lee Ryder (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.3 1,045 ratings

Book 1 of 14: Gunslinger Matthew Slade

See all formats and editions

1870’s San Francisco is set to explode in violence! Gunslinger Matthew Slade rescues a little girl from an attempted kidnapping. Now the Chinese tongs that run the city want her back – and Slade dead.

San Francisco’s a boomtown awash in money, with Victorian-style bawdy houses and a loose sense of the law. Enter Matthew Slade. Formerly the Pinkerton Detective Agency’s best investigator, tracker, and gun-hand.

Upon his arrival, Slade rescues Mai Lee, a little Chinese girl, from a pair of thugs intent on kidnapping her. The girl’s wanted by Huang Sun, the leader of the dominant tong – a crime syndicate that runs opium dens, fan-tan parlors, and prostitution in the city.

Slade can’t walk away, even if he wanted to. His first paid job as a free agent is to keep Mai Lee out of Sun’s hands – no matter the cost!

But how can a gunslinger used to the open plains and prairies of the West deal with the criminal underworld of a crowded metropolis? Even with the help of new allies and the backing of a pair of bawdy-house madams, his odds are long at best.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sugar Lee Ryder was born to a pair of Wild West rodeo show performers, who later joined up with a traveling circus. It made for an interesting time growing up, to put it mildly. Her books include the bestselling Cowgirl Up contemporary romance, and the GLBT-themed western adventure Sagebrush & Lace. The latter has been recognized by Lamba Literary Review as a story 'full of adventure and entertaining characters!' Ms. Ryder currently resides in the Inland Empire region of Southern California.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00N37LMXQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Banty Hen Publishing (August 26, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 26, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1045 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 176 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #583,150 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #3,096 in U.S. Historical Fiction
- #7,395 in Westerns (Kindle Store)
- #10,335 in Westerns (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.3 1,045 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Sugar Lee Ryder

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Sugar Lee Ryder was born to a pair of Wild West rodeo show performers. It made for an interesting time growing up, to put it mildly. Her books include the bestselling contemporary romance 'Cowgirl Up', the lesbian-themed historical romance 'Sagebrush & Lace', and the western adventure series 'Gunslinger Matthew Slade'.

Series Order:

GUNSLINGER MATTHEW SLADE ~

Dakota Blue (Prequel Short)

The Gaslight Gunslinger

Bullets and Bitter Harvests

Confederate Gold

Gun Smoke and Ocean Winds

The Emperor and The Gunslinger

The Rebels of Russian Hill

A Walk with Destiny

No Second Chances

Came a Gentle Whisper

The Gunslinger's Daughter

The Sky Above, Blood Below

Dawn in Big Sky Country

COWGIRL UP ROMANCE TRILOGY ~

Cowgirl Up

Pretty in Pink, Wicked With Spurs

Who Left the Gate Open

Cowgirl's Choice (Trilogy Box Set)

STANDALONE NOVELS ~

Sagebrush & Lace

The Winds of Akrotiri

Time Enough for Justice

Shorts and Collections:

He Had It Coming

Strawberries and Naughty Cream

Adam's Bar-B-Que Ribs

Hot Day and Hotter Night

Mountain Honey

The Letter

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

1,045 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all photos

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Tony Parsons

western

Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2021

Verified Purchase

The train stock car Matthew Slade (former the Pinkerton Detective Agency, gunslinger, investigator, tracker) & Blue (horse) were riding in was not pleasant.
1878, San Francisco, CA. The horse/rider jumped out & landed in the soft sand & took off.
The Gold Rush had been over for quite some time.
2 Chinese dock workers had ideas about what to do with Mai Lee (Chinese girl).
Matthew took care of the 2 thugs.
Market St. Riding with her, he noticed all the different ethnic groups of PPL.
Samantha Williams & Charlotte Harte owned/ran the Two Queens Social Club.
Samantha introduced the 2 of them to Captain Amos Harding (Sea Hind China schooner).
He translated everything from Mai Lee (14) to Matthew.
She was to become a sex slave for her master/husband.

Tilly (saloon girl) took Mai Lee upstairs to get all cleaned up.
Charlotte Harte finally showed up.
Mrs. Doyle (Irish, house maid) showed Matthew to his room.
Captain Harding gave Matthew a tour of Chinatown (Broadway, California, Kearney, Stockton St’s.).
They went to see Huang Sun (Tong leader).
Cao Wu (Highbinders Chinese gang assassin) & Luo Li (Highbinders Chinese gang) were keeping an eye on the 2 of them.
Things went as planned Mai Lee is a free girl.
Molly’s Millenary. Ms. Molly Bea Denim (½ Chinese/Irish, milliner, nee McGregor) is going to make her a milliner apprentice.

Matthew took a fancy to Molly Bea right away.

I do not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing free books from publishers & authors. Therefore, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one.

An awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very professionally written western book. It was quite easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters & facts to keep track of. This could also make another great western movie, or better yet a mini-TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is an amazingly easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free Author; Banty Hen Publishing; StoryOrigin; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Ralph Roggenbuck

A very different slant on a western. Makes a unique setting for a well written story!

Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2022

Verified Purchase

The characters are written with the human behavior flaws and all showing through. It has enough realism to be a admit believable read.

It was refreshing to find a book not all sexed and foul language .
It was an enjoyable story.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Bonnye Reed Fry

a delightful tale

Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2023

Verified Purchase

I received a complimentary electronic copy of this novel from the author. This review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am pleased to recommend Sugar Lee Ryder to friends and family. She writes a classic, old-fashioned western. What a breath of fresh air!

The first in a western series set in San Francisco shortly after the Gold Rush in that area of California petered out but before the earthquake and fires, The Gaslight Gunslinger brings us into that vibrant, sophisticated, and still-growing city with ex-Pinkerton detective and fugitive retriever Matthew Slade, and his horse Blue. Matt and Blue are looking for a new way of life. All they know is what they left behind when Matt quit the Pinkertons, but he knows there is something out there that will challenge him and allow him to help others and be in total control of his existence on this glowing earth.

Fresh off the train, they are called upon to rescue a newly immigrated Chinese girl, 14-year-old Mai Lee, from Tong enforcers, and they both will become acquainted with and partners in a private investigations business with Clipper ship owner/captain Owen Harding at the fancy house and gambling parlor of Matt's only San Francisco acquaintances, Miss Samantha Williams and Miss Charlotte Harte, ladies willing to take on the upbringing of Miss Lee even understanding the danger her presence might bring. And they know the perfect woman to help take on the job, a half Chinese - half Irish hat maker fluent in Mandarin as well as English, and tough enough to keep Mai safe. But the only way to ensure her continuing safety is to buy her contract from the old Chinaman who paid her bride price. He is the head of the largest of San Francisco's two main Tongs, so won't be hard to find, and Samantha and Charlotte are willing to pay the price. Once Mai Lee has her contract in hand she will be a free woman. Girl. A female turning into an adventurous woman of daring. If she isn't kidnapped by the Tong and carried away before that happens, of course.

You are gonna love Slade and Amos, Mai Lee and Mrs. Doyle, hatmaker Molly Denim, and most especially, Dakota Blue.

Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2020

Verified Purchase

Would call this an easy, fast, light read. Sometimes that is the kind of book you need to relax and unwind. You can guess the outcome after reading a few chapters. Characters are not in-depth but are interesting.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

C4ISR

Interesting series start

Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2024

Verified Purchase

Just read the first book in the series and the writing is good as well as the editing. Starting the second book when I finish this review. Usually there are only six to ten books in a series but here you have an order of magnitude more. Enjoy!

Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2022

Verified Purchase

I enjoyed the atmosphere of this book and experiencing San Francisco's early days. Slade is quite a heroic figure! Reminds me of watching early Westerns. Now I want to read the next in the series to see what Slade and Amos' new adventure will be

Helpful

Willie Fetchit

The Gaslight Gunslinger

Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2020

Verified Purchase

I found this book to be very entertaining. The characters seem very real, and you are drawn into the story as if you are there and one of the characters. The good guys are real and they get injured too. It makes for a much more interesting experience. You really need to Experience this book.

Helpful

Sam B. Wagner

A young Chinese woman, chased by two huge Tong thugs, finds help from newly arrived retired Pinkerton - Historic San Francisco

Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2017

Verified Purchase

A $10,000 ransom seems payment enough and far more than warranted. But the local Tong leader sets out on a course of murder and extortion to reclaim the young woman. And she is not all that she seems, as a special emissary from China reveals. Great page-turning action, filled with twists and turns, plenty of old time San Francisco which is just coming into its own. Well worth the time.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Phyllis S.

Innocence is threatened and he's ** determined ** to protect !!

Reviewed in Canada on January 23, 2020

Verified Purchase

This was an unexpected treat that I
thoroughly enjoyed reading and will
enjoy reading again.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Enjoy !!

Phyllis S.

Charles Horton

Interesting read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 13, 2020

Verified Purchase

Enjoyed the book from beginning to the end a good western with a twist . nice easy read for lovers of westerns

Maria Desnoyer

Three Stars

Reviewed in Canada on January 29, 2017

Verified Purchase

a decent read