My Cultural Diet

“Perfect for readers of Reckless and The Department of Truth,” claimed the promo copy. Since those are two of my favorite comic titles in recent years, how could I not be curious? But you know what they say about things sounding too good to be true… Linnea Kent is a former homicide detective who couldn’t hack it in the big city, so she’s returned to her hometown with her ex-UFC husband Parker to open a detective agency. Nothing serious ever happens in Linnea’s quiet little burg, and that’s the way she likes it. But when a missing persons case reawakens old memories, Linnea and Parker are forced to confront her hometown’s darkest secrets. Pine and Merrimac certainly possesses the elements of a good story (e.g., a haunted protagonist, a sleepy little town, secrets and conspiracies). Unfortunately, the writing and dialog are clunky, the story is just a series of tropes and clichés strung together, and the “shocking” twist ending feels cheap and unearned. In other words, just stick with Reckless and The Department of Truth.

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