Considering the reputation and relationship you may have with your local shop is smart, yes. And considering the Marlin may also be a good move. The bike I ride the most often on varied terrain is a hardtail mountain bike very much like the Marlin. In fact, I swapped out the inexpensive suspension fork for a rigid fork and the bike is super fun to ride and very quick to respond. The Marlin will have just enough accessory mounts like rack mounts and bottle cage mounts to make it useable on a daily basis. I think some Marlins come with 27.5" tires and some come with 29" tires...in either case, you can certainly swap out the cheap knobbies it comes with for some higher quality tires more suited to your type of riding (gravel, hardpack dirt or pavement, etc.).

Here's a link to my hardtail that I use as a hybrid: Redline Zander MTB Hybrid Conversion - Bike Forums. Those pictures were taken before the fork swap, but the bike is mostly setup like that still today. I should take some pictures and update that thread.