In Stephen King’s novel Salem’s Lot, the protagonist’s first name is Ben Mears.
Ben Mears is a writer who returns to the fictional town of Jerusalem’s Lot, Maine, commonly shortened to ’Salem’s Lot. He comes back partly to confront traumatic memories connected with the Marsten House, a mansion that haunted him as a child.
After his return, Ben becomes involved with Susan Norton and investigates the disappearance of townspeople as the community is transformed by vampirism. His perspective guides much of the novel’s exploration of memory, fear, and the corruption of a familiar hometown.
The novel was published in 1975 and was King’s second published novel, following Carrie. The title is often written as ’Salem’s Lot, with the opening apostrophe indicating the shortened form of Jerusalem’s Lot. Ben Mears is distinct from Mark Petrie, the young boy who becomes his important ally.