Claire M. 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 and was nominated for a Shamus Award and a Macavity Award in 2025. The second book in this series, City Lights, was published in July 2025. For Thee, Ms. Johnson's historical novel about the marriage of Ernest Hemingway and Pauline Pfeiffer will debut in December 2025. For Thee won the Gold from the Royal Palm Literary Award hosted by the Florida Writers Association and was a Page Turner Finalist. Ms. Johnson was recently President of the Mystery Writers of America's Northern California Chapter.