Local Author R.K. Benton debuts locally-inspired mystery novel

LAKE WENATCHEE — Local author Becky Benton, who goes by the pen name R.K. Benton, has just released her first novel, Of Hearts and Murder, a locally-inspired, character-driven mystery that explores love, legacy, and the price of second chances.

“I'm super excited to tell a story inspired by this area, and I just hope I've done it justice. I want to add to people’s excitement about this place…The area fires my imagination like nowhere else, and I hope my book can do the same for other people,” said Benton.

Of Hearts and Murder tells the story of Cal Walker, a former investigator who has returned to his Pacific Northwest hometown of Marion to settle his family’s affairs, only to be pulled into a conspiracy involving a Cold War-era document, a missing ex-con, and the murder of a reviled local tycoon. As he untangles the past, Walker is tasked with choosing between exposing a dangerous truth, or protecting a fragile new life he has just begun to rebuild.

While Benton describes her novel as a blend of wry humor, suspense, and emotional depth, it also has a strong sense of place.

“This first book is about Cal Walker coming back to Marion after twenty years and realizing he's where he's really meant to be. Landing that emotion, that feeling of reassurance is what I'm hoping to achieve. Along with that, I want to show what it might be like to live here, to be from a small town in the shadows of the Cascades. It's really like nowhere else,” said Benton.

Having lived in North Central Washington for 15 years, Benton was inspired by the beauty and history of her own backyard. The fictional town is set near Lake Wenatchee, and its foundations draw heavily from local history, people, and establishments, such as the Dirty Face Lodge or Cougar Inn.

“I talk to a lot of folks with deep roots around here, and those stories really ground you in what it means to be from this place. Some of those stories serve as inspiration and show up in the novel…and some of them helped me create characters that live and breathe, which is really fun,” said Benton.

This contextual background also came from conversations with friend and neighbor Rollie Schmitten, a Lake Wenatchee historian. For instance, the Wellington Disaster of 1910 — one of the deadliest avalanches in U.S. history, which occurred near Stevens Pass — shows up in one pivotal character’s story.

“If you know the history of the area, you'll certainly be able to see how local events would have shaped Marion…If I've done my job right, that inspiration is woven into the backstory in such a way that it feels authentic and familiar yet exciting at the same time,” said Benton.

Readers may also notice nods to the Trinity Mines and Leavenworth’s revival in Marion’s backstory. The town begins as a bustling mining camp in the late 1800s, and is abandoned when investors shift their money to the stock market. Eventually, a young entrepreneur resurrects the ghost town.

“I love phoenix-rising-from-ashes stories, and I thought it was a perfect metaphor for so many of the characters in the story,” said Benton.

While informed by local themes, Benton’s extensive writing background also shaped her approach to Of Hearts and Murder. Running a range she describes as “darkly serious to delightfully chucklesome,” Benton has written plays, video game scripts, operatic librettos, and covered local history and comedy for Bay Area publications.

“Everything I've ever been proud of writing always contained some element of humor and a cast of quirky characters. Moving into a novel gave me so much more room to build out the characters and their stories, which was great fun to write,” said Benton.

Of Hearts and Murder is available on Amazon, and at Ye Olde Bookshoppe in Wenatchee, Riverwalk Books in Chelan, and Third Place Books in Seattle. It is the first of a three-book arc, though Benton says the series could easily expand.

“Cal Walker, the main character, is only 33 and has a lot more adventures ahead and growing to do, and not all of the folks of Marion are what they seem, so there's plenty to build on,” said Benton.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media