Craig Johnson

Craig Johnson is an American novelist best known for the Longmire series, following Walt Longmire, the sheriff of a sparsely populated fictional Wyoming county, as he investigates crimes against the vivid, weathered backdrop of the high plains. The series began with The Cold Dish in 2004 and was adapted into Longmire, a television drama that ran first on A&E and then, after fan campaigns following its cancellation, on Netflix for a total of six seasons — one of the more prominent examples of streaming reviving a canceled series in response to audience demand.

Johnson, who lives on a small ranch in Wyoming near the Longmire novels' fictional setting, writes with a strong sense of place, blending traditional mystery plotting with Western atmosphere, dry humor, and recurring characters including Walt's best friend Henry Standing Bear and deputy Victoria Moretti. The books draw on Cheyenne and Crow cultural elements from the region with research and input from tribal consultants, a dimension that carried into the television adaptation as well. New readers should start with The Cold Dish, since Walt's grief over his late wife and his relationships with the supporting cast develop across the series in order, though many entries also work reasonably well as standalone mysteries. Johnson continues to publish new Longmire novels roughly annually.