Horror in the Door: Brett Reetz’s “Swimmer”

“I like fear,” says Brett Reetz, Baileys Harbor resident and author of the recently published novel Swimmer. “Fear is such an integral part of the human experience. Horror explores that truth.”

Set in contemporary Door County, Swimmer is Reetz’s first novel. The story follows the exploits of Lloyd Jordnt, a washed-up detective who is drinking his life away, and fast. At the behest of his sheriff stepbrother, he temporarily rejoins law enforcement to solve a brutal string of murders centered around the town of Fish Creek and the turbulent waters of Chambers Island. Lloyd eventually gets the help of a 12-year-old deaf boy who believes he has discovered a superhero: the mysterious swimming man. As Lloyd battles his own demons – alcohol and his past – he also rediscovers something greater than himself.

Vivid cameos by Door County types we’ve all known enrich the story: ex-hippy ne’er-do-wells, enthusiastic naturalists, hard-drinking fisherman, perky cottage-dwellers, and even a veteran bartender named Rosie.

Reetz is happy to provide an antidote to what he sees as “Pollyannic” images of the county he loves. “When I think about Door County, I don’t use the word ‘quaint.’ This place isn’t idyllic, like, ‘Here comes my lover on the fishing tug.’ It’s full of real people, with real failures, successes, and tragedies.”

Well, let’s hope that most of what Reetz is writing about isn’t real, as much of it is downright bone chilling. But it is refreshingly gritty, at times downright raunchy, and, in the end, a compelling tale that keeps you turning pages. And for the nautical crowd, Swimmer features elements of sea and swale that bring alive the chilly waters of Lake Michigan. Other than his beloved Hamms, $8.99 a case, Lloyd’s best friend is his Bertram fishing boat.

When asked about his influences, Brett cites Stephen King and Ernest Hemingway. But, he says, “Some people play music by ear. That’s how I write.” Reetz took up writing in his late 20s because “I wanted to get paid for making up stories.” Writing has become a way of life for Reetz, who generally works into the wee hours. He has attended a few writer’s workshops, but found that most of the other writers “were too nice, and they didn’t get my genre.” As for getting paid, he grins, “right now, with this book, I’m earning grocery money. I could feed the family, but that’s it.” Reetz’s family is his wife Laura (“one of my best editors”), a daughter, and two young sons. “No, Hadley hasn’t read this book,” he grins, referring to his eldest child.

Reetz doesn’t deny that his career as a criminal defense attorney provides him with some useful background knowledge about the dark side of society. Maybe it’s not ironic, though, that the only attorney in Swimmer, a self-righteous social climber, meets a grisly fate. “Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of lawyers and the profession,” says Reetz dryly.

As for Reetz’s inspiration for some of the more horrifying details of the book, he recounts his experiences on Chambers Island. “When I first moved to the county, I worked out there, pounding nails. The flies were vicious. At first I just hated them, then I hated anything that could tolerate them.” As the story progresses, the infamous biting flies of Chambers become a motif, revealing clues about mysterious and primal being who is at the root of the killings.

Reetz concedes that the concepts of good and evil inform his writing in a big way. “When I read about the events around our world, that seems to be the only way to explain it.” He also sees the complicated duality of people. His writing is at its best when he explores the inner lives of his main characters, especially Lloyd Jordnt. When he’s drunk, Lloyd is a misanthropic dreamer who replays shameful episodes of his past. Sober, he is painfully aware of the ever-encroaching power of alcohol on his life, even as he makes heroic efforts on others’ behalf. “People go to alcohol to hide, and I explore that subject,” says Reetz.

Swimmer is just the beginning for Reetz, who has seven full-length novels in final draft form and plans to publish more. His subject matter is not for the faint of heart. There’s Mud Bay, about a psychic vampire in Green Bay, Hierarchy, centered on savant child on Washington Island who breaks a killer’s brilliant code, and Amanda Ridgeland, the story of a bereaved father who sets out to prove the existence of heaven after his only daughter falls through the ice to her death.

As for more books about detective Lloyd Jorndt? “It’s possible,” says Reetz.

Swimmer, published by Two Harbors Press in Minneapolis, is available at Book World in Sturgeon Bay, Passtimes Books in Sister Bay, Novel Ideas in Baileys Harbor, Peninsula Bookman in Fish Creek, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.com.

Excerpt of Swimmer

He let go of the ladder and submerged, feeling his way beneath the hull of the boat. He found the prop and immediately discovered a mass of slimy rope wrapped in a slippery ball about the size of a paper wasp’s nest around the propeller. He tried to see but the water was lightless and he could make out only dark shadows he didn’t want to think about. He cut away at the hulk of line, staying under as long as he could without air. He felt his way to the transom and surfaced. The cold didn’t hurt so much anymore and the feeling that his toes had been smashed waned.

He took a deep breath and began to submerge. Just before his ears went beneath the surface he heard a loud splash. He clutched the swim ladder, abandoning his descent.

What the hell was that? Ten yards off the stern, bubbles rose to the surface as if somebody had just knifed into the water.