He has written six novels: Mary and O'Neil, The Ferryman, and The Summer Guest, as well as a vampire trilogy consisting of The Passage, The Twelve and The City of Mirrors.

[1] Born and raised in New England, Cronin is a graduate of Harvard University and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

He taught creative writing and was the "Author in-residence" at La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1992 to 2003.

He is a former professor of English at Rice University, and he lives with his wife and children in Houston, Texas.

[2] In July 2017, Variety reported that Fox 2000 had bought the screen rights to Cronin's vampire trilogy.