Mysteries

Word spreads that Nick Moore has left San Francisco for good, leaving Maggie Laurent struggling to keep the Moore Detective Agency afloat. Cops, the D.A., and the other private detectives in town all predict she’ll be out of business by Christmas, and she’s not sure they aren’t right. Then one day, her silent partner, Dickie Vance, invites her to lunch. He has a job for her. Find out what’s going on with Herman Peters, Dickie’s favorite cab driver and one of the “Nob Hill Irregulars” that feeds him gossip on the City’s elite.

During their weekly boxing lesson, Maggie learns that Herman’s fiancée, Vera Kowalski, has dumped him and asks Maggie to find out why. This simple request leads Maggie deep into the world of labor unrest, the IWW, the Sedition Act, and into the arms of one of Herman’s friends, a charming-as-hell Irishman. As the state gubernatorial election draws near, the city brass will do everything in its power to ensure that San Francisco remains peaceful for the next few months, even as the aftermath of the stock market crash begins to bite—and bite hard. Banks start foreclosing on homes, families sleep in their cars, men sleep on the sidewalks, soup lines begin to form, and the rumblings of union busting get louder. When this powder keg of unrest explodes with the arrival of Pinkerton operatives, the chain reaction of murder and violence threatens the lives of union members, cops—and Maggie herself.

In 1930 San Francisco, the bridges haven't yet been built, and although Prohibition is still in effect, the speakeasies are turning them away. The Moore Detective Agency is two months and several fifths of whiskey away from closing its doors. When the wife of one of the most prestigious bankers knocks on their office door asking them to look for her wayward stepson, it could be the lifeline they need to keep the agency going. Unfortunately, Detective Nick Moore’s current client is his bootlegger, and the only case he cares about is the one that contains twelve bottles of bathtub gin. When Nick dives even further into the world of Jim and Beam, she is determined to solve the case on her own. Maggie soon finds herself up to her neck in murder, arson, and the lies and double lives of San Francisco’s wealthy elite, a world where she’s seen as a nuisance at best and a threat at worst.

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“Claire Johnson has stepped right into the footwear of the Thirties, with her smart-mouthed secretary-turned-gumshoe taking over her boss’s investigations and poking a well-powdered nose into all kinds of San Francisco chicanery. Fog City is a delight! I hope we see much more of Mags Laurent—oh, and that trouble-making boss of hers, Nick Moore.”—Laurie R. King, NYT bestselling author of the Russell & Holmes series, The Kate Martinelli series, Back to the Garden, and others.

 “Claire M. Johnson’s Fog City is the dark, dangerous, and delicious San Francisco of classic noir, a city of smoke-filled speakeasies and jazz singers with secrets to keep, of scheming families who built their fortunes on crime and the corrupt officials who cover for them. The twists come hard and fast in this one, and Maggie Laurent is a welcome addition to the city’s rich history of private eyes.”—Margaret Dumas, author of the Movie Palace mystery series, Speak Now, How To Succeed in Murder, and The Balance Thing

“A snazzy, snappy, delightful romp through early ‘30s San Francisco!”—Kelli Stanley, Macavity-winning author of City of Dragons.

 “When her P.I. boss goes on an extended bender, Maggie Laurent decides she can handle a simple case to keep the firm solvent. As in any great noir tale, the case turns out to be twisty, but Maggie’s a quick learner who is happy to add the occasional rosary prayer to her innate smarts and willingness to ask for help from some intriguing characters. She’s brave, shrewd, and a bit cynical. Perfect for this fog-drenched San Francisco noir. I loved Fog City and Maggie!”—Susan Shea, author of Murder Visits a French Village (March ’23), Murder and the Missing Dog (March 2024), and the Dani O’Rourke Mysteries

Cranky Mary Ryan has sunk a lot of time and talent into the American Fare, San Francisco's hottest spot, while grieving over her broken marriage. At work very early, she steps on a laundry bag stuffed with the dead body of one of her employees. The investigation soon exposes all the dirty secrets that the food business would like to keep secret: the philandering chefs, the silly whims of the dining public, the hiring of illegal aliens, and the subsistence-living pay scale. Events begin to spiral that in time take out the restaurant's celebrity chef and force Mary to use her unique skills to uncover a poisonous scheme. Beat Until Stiff is the first book in the Mary Ryan series.

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“Mary Ryan, feisty pastry chef at American Fare, a trendy San Francisco restaurant, finds murder on the menu in Johnson's delicious debut, which mixes an unglamorized, behind-the-scenes view of the upscale restaurant trade with a plot replete with well-timed shocks... The restaurant business—its food, financing and philosophy—is here in all its complexity for discriminating mystery palates.”
— Publishers Weekly

"Claire M. Johnson's Beat Until Stiff deserves enthusiastic mention as a very special title which offers an unusually frank view of the cooking and restaurant scene in San Francisco. Herself a professional and experienced pastry chef, Claire Johnson presents the reader with a lively style that mixes autobiography with culinary and social insights. Highly recommended!”
— Midwest Book Review

“Willy-nilly, Johnson takes you there in a fast and furious place, often reminiscent of the theatrical ditto, complete with Hamlets and Greek choruses and magicians who don't get it right. not only is this a treat, I read it through twice to make sure it was as good as I thought.”
— The Courier-Gazette

Mary Ryan, San Francisco pastry chef, is happy to be teaching at her old alma mater. But before long, she realizes the teaching staff are at loggerheads with each other. Adding to her dismay, ex-lover and Homicide Detective O'Connor has enrolled as a student, claiming to be on disability from the San Francisco Police Department.

In the middle of this turf war, Mary is ordered by dean Robert Benson to force Coolie Martin to leave the school or lose her job. But why would Coolie's father, a member of the Board of Directors, allow this to happen? Then when faculty and staff begin dying, Mary fears Coolie's forced exit might be part of a larger, more sinister plot.

Acting on a hint from O'Connor, Mary is soon knee deep in murder, money-laundering, blackmail, professional sabotage, and computer hacking, and must rush to uncover the truth before the bodies start stacking up

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“Food Channel addicts will enjoy the inside details on cooling school politics, while fans of quirky mysteries will like the outrageous adult behavior on display.”
— Library Journal

“...highly amusing action in Johnson's superior second cosy to feature funky pastry chef Mary Ryan... This enjoyable romp should gain Johnson new fans.”
— Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Sexual tension, cooking tips, and a neatly package mystery. All in all, a tasty tale.”
— Kirkus Reviews