Southeast Mo. native publishes first novel 18 years after writing it

Ben Capshaw's life is not the easiest to follow. His resume lists Navy officer, legislative aid, catering waiter, cab driver, lawyer and now author.

Capshaw -- a Chaffee, Mo., native who now lives in St. Louis by way of Washington, D.C. -- recently released his first novel, "Red Roger," to the Kindle. The murder-thriller will be published in hardback and appear at Barnes & Noble this week, he said.

Capshaw grew up in Chaffee as the son of longtime mayor Robert Capshaw. He graduated from The University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor's and a law degree in the early 1980s and went on active duty with the U.S. Navy in 1984. When he got out, he worked as a legislative aid until 1991 when he was reactivated for a special project, but still worked in catering on nights and weekends. That tour ended in 1993 and in the two months before he started a full-time catering job, he wrote the book.

He moved back to Missouri in the fall of 1993 and drove a cab in St. Louis for a few years while getting his law degree and then starting up his firm.

Capshaw sat on the manuscript for 18 years. He would occasionally lend the book to friends, who always asked why he hadn't published it.

"The answer was, I didn't have time," he said.

The book, which takes place in Washington, D.C., follows a detective hunting a killer who signs all his victims "Red Roger." The killer strikes D.C. socialites and political climbers.

Capshaw said his time in politics as a legislative aid and his time as a waiter at Washington balls and galas gave him an inside look at the circles he writes about in the book.

"You get this amazing window on a world you're not a part of, but you get the view," he said.

While Capshaw has an inside view of St. Louis, he chose to set the book in Washington, mostly because it's an easily recognizable city and the political overtones fit naturally into the story.

"It's just a good venue for book writing because so many people can identify with what you're talking about," he said.

The book starts in Dupont Circle -- a traffic circle, park and neighborhood in Washington. Capshaw said it opens up in the mind of the killer, waiting in that park for a victim. The next chapter takes the viewpoint of Detective John Knight with D.C. homicide. The book alternates between the two characters, a method of writing that Capshaw said helped propel the story forward.

"You're kind of always anticipating the killer because you know he's going to come back," he said. "It moves, and it moves from the very beginning."

Each odd chapter follows the killer, while all the even chapters show the detective's moves.

"It's fun to write in that style," Capshaw said. "Because you get to put yourself in both shoes."

But sometimes Capshaw found it difficult to wear a killer's boots.

"Parts of this book were really hard to write. You put yourself in the mind of a brutal killer," he said. "There were times where I had to mentally bear down on what I was doing."

Capshaw said he powered through those tough chapters because he knew he had to write those scenes into the story.

"If you're going to write a book about a vicious killer, you got to commit," he said.

He finished the book in 45 days in March and April of 1993. He wrote an unpublished sequel while working in Washington that summer.

"All the characters who survive the first book come back in the second book," he said, careful not to say which characters those are.

The second book also uses the Washington backdrop and is roughly the same length. Capshaw said he's not sure whether he will publish it, though.

"First things first; we want to deal with this one," he said.

Capshaw will host a book release party for "Red Roger" on April 15 at his home in St. Louis. Call 314-402-0764 to reserve a hard copy of the book or for more information on the party.

charris@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent Address: 9859 Warson Pointe Drive, St. Louis, MO