‘Butcher’s Bill’ is a current-day crime thriller that pits a global serial killer using his position as a U.S. Navy sailor to seek new hunting grounds,” Eric Herbert said. (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – Eric W. Herbert, author of the crime novel “Butcher’s Bill,” will visit Madison Public Library on April 17.

“Butcher’s Bill” uses a new setting for crime thrillers — a nautical background.

A good-versus-evil story, “‘Butcher’s Bill’ is a current-day crime thriller that pits a global serial killer using his position as a U.S. Navy sailor to seek new hunting grounds,” Herbert said. “Two men with similar traumatic childhoods try to serve the same religious deity.”

Committing atrocious murders for 17 years, Chief Petty Officer Medina “kills in male/female pairs believing he is ridding the world of sinful people. (He) seeks to distribute God’s wrath,” Herbert said.

In contrast, Father Nguyen, a Cambodian Roman Catholic priest, believes God is compassionate and has “brought the monster to him to battle,” Herbert said. Nguyen, FBI Agent Sherman and Navy SEALS chase the villain.

“I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing with a personal goal of writing a fictional story,” Herbert said. “While standing watch being deployed overseas on a navy ship, I had a lot of time to think. Finally, I decided to put the story down on paper.”

For the villain, Herbert predicts the reader will feel rage, hatred, lust, frustration, anger, jealousy, pity, remorse, spite and ugliness. For “the good guys,” readers will empathize with sadness, joy, fear, pity and fear.

Twists and turns in “Butcher’s Bill” will intrigue readers. Herbert “combines just enough colorful detail with emotions that each character experiences to put the reader into the story.”

In 2008, Herbert retired as a lieutenant commander from the U.S. Navy. He now works as a senior project engineer for Aerospace Corporation.

A native of Susquehanna, Pa., Herbert has lived in Madison since 2008. His son Jacob is a Bob Jones High School freshman and son Nathaniel is a second-grader in Ventura, Calif.

For orders, visit butchersbill.tateauthor.com, Amazon or Barnes and Noble.