Welcome to corrupt Kole County, where FBI agent Christopher Odacio and private investigator Brett Bonner are a rookie/veteran odd couple that must sort the truth from lies before they get themselves —or someone they love—killed. Sound familiar? It should. The Buddy Cop storyline is older than “Dragnet,” but author Michael Santino is able to breathe new life into this well-trod genre in THE FRONTLINE: The Complete First Season. As the subtitle suggests, THE FRONTLINE is very cinematic and owes as much to television shows like “The Wire” and “Law & Order” as it does the crime novels and police procedurals of Joseph Wambaugh and W.E.B Griffith. The most interesting aspect of story is the moral conundrums the “good guys” encounter. Sometimes Odacio and Bonner do illegal things in order to enforce the law. Our heroes do a little bad for the greater good. But when it comes to covering up murder or rigging an election the line gets blurry.
For the most part, Odacio and Bonner are compelling male leads, developing as they brainstorm plans to take down a group of white supremacists. But something about Odacio’s relationship with his wife Kristen—who transforms from nurse to aspiring politician—rings false. They kiss hello and goodbye and say, “I love you,” but their marriage seems cold. THE FRONTLINE doesn’t need an R-rating, but it needs a more realistic level of intimacy between the romantic leads. The story is told almost entirely in dialogue. While this technique can be excellent for propelling plot and fleshing out character motivations (the late Richard Laymon was a master at this writing style) Santino’s characters mostly talk about what they just did or what they’re about to do. There’s very little subtext. Screenwriting guru Robert McKee suggests there is always an unspoken conversation happening between lines of dialogue. That’s not the case in THE FRONTLINE. The characters talk a lot but don’t reveal much about who they are.
There are a couple of quick-fix issues Santino should consider for the next season—or future editions—of THE FRONTLINE. This story was originally published as serialized chapters/episodes, and each section still ends with the line…”find out next time on THE FRONTLINE,” which removes readers from the narrative flow faster than an ejector seat. This problem is compounded at the start of each new episode when the last episode is not-so-subtly recapped. The ending of the first season offers a solution to the whodunit bombing that opens the novel. But it closes with a number of active storylines that are ripe for exploration in Season Two. Fans of primetime crime will want to tune in.
Michael Santino’s fast-paced page-turner, THE FRONTLINE: The Complete First Season, is a simple but effective episodic crime drama that pits an FBI agent and a private investigator against white supremacists and corrupt politicians.
~Rob Errera for IndieReader