Pizzolatto paints ordinary scenes with a colourful palate. The book was described by Entertainment Weekly, as “A taut little noir novel.” And at just under 260 pages, it is “little” but is packed with such vivid writing that I wanted more. And like True Detective, it switches smoothly from past to present. Pizzolatto combines violence with pathos, sometimes in the same sentence and his writing is sharp and extremely visual. They go on the run from his boss, travelling from New Orleans to Galveston, Texas, along a highway of seedy bars and fleabag hotels with death just a car-length behind. Cady becomes entwined with a frightened, defiant young woman. Galveston takes you on a journey with Ray Cady, a “bad man” by his own admission, a man who has nothing to lose, having received a probable death sentence (lung cancer). Pizzalotto’s Galveston mirrors this and it is also much more. The TV series portrays its main protagonists through tight characterisation and visually it contains vast panoramic views of desolate, barely habitable landscapes. Therefore, I opened this book expecting a dark thriller, rich with Southern atmosphere. I must declare that I am a tiny bit biased in favour of Pizzolatto, because I loved True Detective. He wrote and produced the series and strange as it may seem, Galveston is his debut novel. If you are familiar with the crime TV series, “True Detective”, you may recognise the name Nic Pizzolatto. National Emerging Writer Programme Overview.
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