Order of Walt Longmire Books

If you’ve ever wandered into the dust-choked streets of Absaroka County or saddled up beside Sheriff Walt Longmire in a blizzard of secrets and justice, you’ve already met the shadow of Craig Johnson — a modern-day storyteller with the grit of an old cowboy and the irony of a man who understands that the Wild West never really disappeared… it just learned how to use a cell phone.

Craig Johnson was born on January 16, 1961, in Huntington, West Virginia, but don’t let that East Coast origin fool you. His heart — and his imagination — belong entirely to the sweeping plains and wind-scoured badlands of the American West. Raised with a reverence for storytelling, he eventually found his true frontier in Ucross, Wyoming — population: 25. There, among tumbleweeds and prairie winds, he built his ranch by hand and carved out the world of Walt Longmire — a lawman both timeless and tormented, just like the land he protects.

Before writing became his full-time companion, Johnson took a winding trail through various lives: construction worker, police officer, teacher, and ranch hand, all of which left their boot prints on his prose. Though Johnson isn’t a formally educated man in the Ivy League sense, his knowledge of human nature, law enforcement, and the rugged ethos of the West was earned in sweat, scars, and observation — the kind of education that doesn’t come with a diploma, but with a story worth telling.

Johnson’s big break came not with a marketing machine behind him, but with raw storytelling prowess and a sheriff who felt as real as the man next door — if that man next door were a Vietnam vet with a haunted past and a heart bigger than Wyoming. His first novel, “The Cold Dish” (2004), introduced the world to Sheriff Longmire and what would soon become one of the most celebrated Western crime series in contemporary fiction.

Johnson’s work defies easy categorization. Yes, it’s a mystery series. Yes, it has shootouts and small-town politics and snarky sidekicks. But at its core, it’s a meditation on morality, solitude, friendship, and justice — told through the lens of a sheriff who speaks softly but carries a Winchester.

And here’s the kicker — Craig Johnson’s humble rural existence didn’t stop Hollywood from noticing. In 2012, the Longmire TV series debuted on A&E (later picked up by Netflix after fan outrage — yes, that good). Robert Taylor’s portrayal of Walt brought Johnson’s creation to screens worldwide, cementing Longmire in the cultural consciousness as more than a literary figure — a Western icon reborn.

Despite his success, Johnson remains deeply grounded, still residing on his ranch in Ucross. He writes with the discipline of a rancher and the flair of a poet who knows how easily beauty can be interrupted by violence — or salvation. He often jokes that his dog hears more about plot twists than his editor does, and that isolation is the best muse for a man with stories clawing to get out.

There’s irony in the fact that one of America’s most beloved Western voices hails from a speck on the map — a place so remote, you’re more likely to see antelope than people. And yet, that’s what makes Craig Johnson legendary. He doesn’t just write the West… he lives it.

With over 20 Longmire novels, multiple novellas, and a fanbase that ranges from ranch hands to mystery buffs, Johnson has done more than craft a sheriff — he’s revived the mythos of the American West, one murder at a time.

So the next time you pick up a Longmire novel and hear the wind howling through the cottonwoods, remember: it’s not just fiction. It’s Craig Johnson channeling a landscape, a lawman, and a literary legacy that refuses to fade quietly into the prairie dusk.

And the question is — what secrets still lie buried in Absaroka County? Only Johnson knows. But he’s not done telling… not yet.