The Complete Longmire Book Checklist: Every Craig Johnson Novel and Novella Mapped Out
By Alexander Ross
When Johnson published The Cold Dish in 2004, he introduced a lawman weary from personal grief yet anchored by dry humor, deep literary literacy, and an unwavering moral compass. Set against the backdrop of northern Wyoming’s high plains and the neighboring Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, the series established an immediate sense of geographic isolation. Walt Longmire does not operate with modern forensic labs or sprawling fleets of deputies. Instead, he relies on intuition, intimate local knowledge, his fiery undersheriff Victoria Moretti, and his lifelong friend Henry Standing Bear.
Readers encountering the series face a practical choice: follow the publication order or construct an in-universe chronological reading order.
A strictly chronological path forces you to jump back and forth mid-series. Johnson periodically steps outside the linear flow to explore Walt’s service in the Vietnam War, his earliest days as a fresh-faced deputy in 1972, or isolated historical rescues in blizzard conditions. Reading these prequel installments first diminishes their dramatic impact. Their emotional weight relies on knowing who Walt becomes decades later. For nearly every reader, following the Craig Johnson bibliography as it arrived on bookstore shelves provides the clearest and most rewarding narrative momentum.
Alexander Ross has covered the video game industry for a decade, writing deep dives on game design, esports tournaments, VR developments, and gaming culture.
