Craig Johnson (author)

Craig Allen Johnson (born January 16, 1961) is an American author who writes mystery novels. He is best known for his Sheriff Walt Longmire novel series. The books are set in northern Wyoming, where Longmire is sheriff of the fictional county of Absaroka. The series debuted in 2004 and as of March 2025, Johnson has written 21 novels, two novellas, and many short stories featuring Longmire. Some of the novels have been on The New York Times Best Seller list. In 2012, Warner Horizon adapted the main characters and the Wyoming settings of the novels for a television series. Johnson lives at a ranch where he built a residence in the small town of Ucross, Wyoming—population 25.^[1] Although he identified himself as a former New York police officer while promoting his early novels, a 2009 New York Times profile revealed this to be misleading.^[2]

Craig Johnson
Johnson in 2011
Born	Craig Allen Johnson (1961-01-16) January 16, 1961 (age 64)[citation needed]
Occupation	Novelist, short story writer.
Language	English
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Marshall University
Genre	Mystery, Crime fiction, Detective fiction, Westerns
Notable works	Walt Longmire series of novels
Spouse	Judy Johnson
Website
www.craigallenjohnson.com

Career

Books

As of September 2021, Johnson has authored 23 books featuring Sheriff Walt Longmire. They have been translated into 14 languages and have won numerous awards, including the Nouvel Observateur Prix du Roman Noir and the SNCF Mystery of the Year.^{[citation needed]}

TV adaptations

The A&E TV series Longmire, based on Johnson's novels, premiered on June 3, 2012, with cast members Robert Taylor, Katee Sackhoff, Lou Diamond Phillips, Bailey Chase, Adam Bartley, A Martinez, Zahn McClarnon, and John Bishop.^[3] Filmed in New Mexico,^[4] Longmire debuted as A&E's number-one original-series premiere of all time with 4.1 million total viewers.^[5] After the third season, A&E canceled the series and subsequently seasons four to six were made for Netflix.^[6][7]

Influence

The success of Johnson's novels is celebrated in an annual festival, called Longmire Days, held in the small town of Buffalo, Wyoming, the real-life inspiration for the series' fictional setting. Close to 12,000 people attend the festival each year, including the author, many of the actors from the TV series, and (on occasion) the publishers and producers.^[8]

Personal life

Craig Johnson grew up in Huntington, West Virginia, and attended college at Marshall University.^[9]

Johnson lives in Ucross, Wyoming, with his wife Judy.^[10][11]

Bibliography

Walt Longmire series

Title	Year	ISBN 1st Edition	Notes
The Cold Dish	2004	9780143036425
Death Without Company	2006	9780143038382
Kindness Goes Unpunished	2007	9780143113133
Another Man's Moccasins	2008	9780143115526	2009 Spur Award for Best Western Short Novel[12]
The Dark Horse	2009	9780143117315
Junkyard Dogs	2010	9780143119531
Hell Is Empty	2011	9780143120988
Divorce Horse	2012	9781101592649	eBook short story
As the Crow Flies	2012	9780143123293
Christmas in Absaroka County	2012	9781101623718	collection of four eBook short stories
Messenger	2013	9780143127826	eBook short story
A Serpent's Tooth	2013	9780670026456
Spirit of Steamboat	2013	9780143125877	novella
Any Other Name	2014	9780143126973
Wait for Signs	2014	9780143127826	collection of 12 short stories
Dry Bones	2015	9780525426936
The Highwayman	2016	9780735220904	novella
An Obvious Fact	2016	9780143109129
The Western Star	2017	9780143109136
Depth of Winter	2018	9780525522478
Land of Wolves	2019	9780525522508
Next to Last Stand	2020	9780525522539
Daughter of the Morning Star	2021	9780593297254
Hell and Back	2022	9780593297285
The Longmire Defense	2023	9780593297315
First Frost	2024	9780593830673
Tooth and Claw	2024	9780593834169	novella
Return to Sender	2025	9780593830703