Author Brian Johnson to host book launch of his new book in Mpls

Twin Cities author Brian Johnson announced today plans for a launch of his new book Murder in Chisago County: The Unsolved Johnson Family Mystery, on Wednesday April 24^th in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The book, published by Arcadia Publishing and The History Press, delves into the 1933 murder of Alvira Johnson and her seven children in Harris, a Chisago County town about 55 miles north of the Twin Cities. At 3:30 a.m. on April 11, 1933, neighbors and firefighters arrived at the farmhouse of Albin and Alvira Johnson to find a smoldering heap where a seemingly happy home once stood. Beneath the ruins, investigators found the bodies of Alvira and her children, but Albin’s remains were nowhere to be seen.

The authorities determined that Alvira and the children were dead before the fire, and fingers immediately pointed to Albin. Hundreds of searchers, including the illustrious Pinkerton Agency, combed the area and even crossed into Canada in pursuit of Johnson, who was indicted in absentia for the murders. But he was never found, dead or alive. What happened to the Johnson family and what part, if any, Albin played in the tragedy remain a mystery.

Johnson, the grand-nephew of Alvira Lundeen Johnson, says this story has tugged at the emotions of Chisago County residents and those across the state for nearly nine decades.

“This project was an investigative journey to seek the truth that turned into a journalistic obsession,” said Johnson. “Others and I have been haunted for decades by this case’s eerie silence and the dark cloud that has hung over my family’s legacy.”

“This story has been told through the generations and I hope to offer a clearer lens as to what actually happened,” the author said.

While previous newspaper articles have merely presented Alvira and her seven children as colorless victims, this book brings the mother and children to life with both words and photos from the author’s private collection. “This story has been told through the generations and I hope to offer a clearer lens as to what actually happened,” the author said. In addition, for the first time Betty Kollas, a niece of Alvira Lundeen Johnson, speaks publicly about the tragedy.

Johnson says he hopes that his research and writing will help the reader get to know Alvira and her seven children: Harold, Clifford, Kenneth, Dorothy, Bernice, Lester, and James Johnson.

“Who knows? Maybe someone will read my book and come forward with information about Albin Johnson’s fate,” said Johnson. “Maybe the great mystery will someday be solved. That would surely provide some closure for loved ones on both the Johnson and Lundeen sides of the family.”

The April 24th launch event will take place at Diamond Lake Lutheran Church, 5760 Portland Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55417

Attention reporters and editors:
Author Brian Johnson is available for interviews. To make coordinating and scheduling easy and hassle free – contact publicist Robb Leer 612.701.0608 or Robbl@leercomunnication.com

Save the Date:
In addition to the April 24th event, Johnson will be conducting another metro area book signing June 26, 7 p.m. at Subtext Books, 6 W. 5^th St., St. Paul

About the Author:
Brian Johnson, a Twin Cities journalist, has more than 25 years of experience as a reporter. A longtime staff writer for a Minneapolis-based business publication, Johnson has won a number of awards from the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists. The Minneapolis native graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1989 with a major in journalism and a minor in Swedish. In his limited spare time, Johnson enjoys music (mostly classical and hits from the 1970s) and spending time with his family. He also likes to read nonfiction books (history, biographies, true crime), play with the family’s wild-and-crazy Australian Shepherd, and listen to documentaries on Swedish Radio. Johnson is a grand-nephew of Alvira Lundeen Johnson, who died with her seven children on April 11, 1933, in Harris, Minnesota. Johnson lives in Richfield, Minnesota, with his wife, Stephanie, and their four children: Victoria, Julia, Lydia and William.

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