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, the first in the Fog City Noir series, has been nominated for both a Shamus and a Macavity Award. City Lights is the second book in this series, and Crookedest Street in the World, the third book in this series, will debut in the summer of 2026. Ms. Johnson was past-President of the Mystery Writers of America's Northern California Chapter.