Philip R. Craig grew up on a small cattle ranch near Durango, Colorado, before going off to college at Boston University, where he was an All American fencer. He earned his M.F.A. at the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop. Craig was professor emeritus of English at Wheelock College in Boston before retiring with wife Shirley to Martha’s Vineyard, where he is well-remembered for his acclaimed Martha’s Vineyard Mystery series.