In 2019 his novel The Puppet Show won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger award.
In 1995, he left the army and began a degree in social work, specialising in criminology, psychology, and substance misuse, before joining the Cumbria Probation Service in Whitehaven as a probation officer.
[4] After 16 years of service, with the rank of assistant chief executive, he accepted redundancy, and became a full-time author.
[3] Craven lives in Carlisle with his wife, Joanne, and his springer spaniel, Bracken.
[4] Craven's work has been well received in publications such as The Times,[12] Woman & Home,[13] Female First,[14] Whispering Stories,[15][16] and What's Good To Read[17]