Local Author Talk with Ray Benoit

Ray was born in Massachusetts in 1929. Since 1988 he has written 15 books. The inspiration for most of his stories has come from his myriad of experiences he has had in his lifetime, and the people he has met and conversed with along the way. He spent four years in the Navy and served during WWII on the USS Toledo seeing many countries and meeting a multitude of people with different backgrounds and cultures. Later, he spent time as a security guard at a shipyard in Florida. Then he worked as a greyhound bus driver and he traveled over most of the country from Texas to Canada. He also spent time working as a carpenter with his father building and repairing homes in New Haven, and southern Connecticut. He has lived in Wallingford, CT for the past 30 years.

Darlene is a love story that weaves into a mystery of violence and suspicion. Steve Mire, a man of integrity and justice, has fought for what he believes is right and shows an understanding and compassion for his fellow men. He meets a beautiful redheaded lady, Darlene, in the city of New York and falls in love. But who is she? Where'd she come from? Steve joins the underworld to be near her, then finds himself in a position he can't get out of. He wants this lady, but how far will he go to have her, and what must he do to keep her? Darlene has many twists and turns and is full of action about the mobs in New York around the times of the 1950s and 60s.