Baldwin County writer Karen Bonvillain has published her debut novel, “Who Was Benny Looter,” a mystery that opens with a body uncovered on the sand in Gulf Shores and follows a former New Orleans homicide detective turned genealogist as she traces a connection between the killing and organized crime in New Orleans.
In the novel, the victim is the widow of a fictional bank executive and university trustee whose aggressive meddling in his alma mater’s football program had made him a controversial, polarizing figure locally, in contrast to his wife, who was well liked in the community. Bonvillain said the book explores what tied the widow’s death to organized crime and why someone would target a woman with no apparent enemies.
Asked whether one of her characters was inspired by a real Auburn University trustee and former Montgomery bank executive, as some readers have speculated, Bonvillain declined to confirm or deny it. “Any similarities between characters, living or dead, are purely coincidental,” she said. “That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.”
From Therapy to a Trilogy
Bonvillain said she began writing the book almost by accident, while working a job she was unhappy with and feeling stuck in her career. What started as a way to cope grew into a full novel as her characters became more real to her. She said the project eventually expanded into a planned three-book series, with a character she originally envisioned as the villain becoming sympathetic enough that she created a separate killer for the story, saving the original character to serve as the hero of the third book.
“Who Was Benny Looter” is Bonvillain’s first published book. She said she is now working on the second installment, “La Soulier Rouge / The Red Shoe,” with a third book in the series also in progress. Each book will follow the same recurring cast while spotlighting a different central character.
Upcoming Appearances
Bonvillain has a reading and signing scheduled at Page and Palette in Fairhope on October 29 from 5 to 7 p.m. She will also appear at the new Fairhope Windmill Market on November 7 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and November 8 from noon to 5 p.m., where she’ll share a booth with fellow members of the Baldwin County Writers Group. A third appearance is set for November 14 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Home for the Writers and Readers Holiday Market at the Mobile Public Library’s West Regional Branch on Grelot Road in Mobile.
The book is available through Lulu.com, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com, with Books-A-Million.com expected to carry it in the coming weeks. Bonvillain, who belongs to both the Baldwin County Writers Group and the Fairhope Writers Group, said she recommends aspiring writers join a local writers group; the Baldwin County group meets on the third Saturday of each month at the Daphne Public Library.