Ms. Johnson's first novel, Beat Until Stiff, was nominated for the 2003 Agatha Award for Best First Novel and was a Booksense pick. Her second book in this series, Roux Morgue, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Fog City, her noir crime novel set in Prohibition-era San Francisco featuring Maggie Laurent, P.I., debuted in July 2024 from Level Best Books. This book is the first in the Fog City Noir series.. The second book in this series, City Lights, was published in July 2025, and the third book, Crookedest Street in the World, will debut in the summer of 2026. Fog City has been nominated for the 2025 Shamus Award for Best First P.I. Novel from the Private Eyes Writers of America and a Macavity Award for Best Historical Mystery by the Mystery Readers International. Ms. Johnson was the recent President of the Mystery Writers of America's Northern California Chapter.