Immortalized in literature

There's a canoe and kayak racer down in Natchez, Mississippi, named Keith Benoist.  I haven't seen or heard from Keith out on the race circuit in several years, but he and his girlfriend Melissa used to give me some good competition in their tandem boat, and Keith was perhaps best known as the founder and director of the Phatwater race that took place on the Mississippi River at Natchez for about a decade.

Greg Iles is a best-selling author who lives in Natchez, and right now I'm reading his novel Natchez Burning (published 2014).  There's a character named Kirk in the story who I'm pretty certain is based on Keith.  If you know Keith, check out this passage and tell me if you disagree (the narrator is the novel's main character, Natchez Mayor Penn Cage):

Kirk graduated from St. Stephen's Preparatory School four years ahead of me.  After a truncated career in the Marine Corps--a Force Recon unit--he spent several years working as a commercial diver, both in the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.  Kirk owns an earthmoving company now, but he devotes much of his time to kayak racing on the Mississippi River.  Guys like Kirk never quite adjust to civilian life, and thus are usually open to pushing the envelope, especially in a good cause. 

"Mayor Cage," he says by way of answering his cell phone.  "Don't tell me--research question for a novel.  Could I really cut somebody's throat with a Visa card?" 

"Not this time." 

"You've finally found the funding for my white-water park?" 

"Uh... no.  Sorry." 

"Then what the hell are you bothering me for?"

And so on.  I've only just finished the chapter in which Kirk first appears, so I don't know yet how much more of him I'll be seeing in the book.  But I'll let you pick up the book and read it yourself if you're curious.