It might seem an obvious place to start off, but True Detective creator/writer Nic Pizzolatto's debut - and to date only - novel does have a lot in common with his dense, rich and disturbing TV show. We start, as in True Detective, in Louisiana as narrator Roy Cady is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Cady is an enforcer for the local bookmaker-cum-gang boss, but after a botched job and his rescue of a young woman we learn that is, in the words of Cohle, more of a bad man who "keeps the other bad men from the door". Whilst Pizzolatto's first book, a collection of short stories, is less crime-centric but rich in character detail, Galveston can almost be seen as a practice run for a lot of the concepts that were later explored True Detective. Or it might just further highlight Pizzolatto's obsessions, and hint at what recurring themes we'll see in the next season. Along with the same atmospheric Louisiana setting and meaty dialogue, Galveston features a fractured narrative (with our "hero" reflecting on past adventures in the present day, where repercussions are still being felt), a morally complex central character, and explores ideas of masculinity and misogyny in the modern South of America. Oh, and there's a bit where Cady cuts up his empty beer cans into little men, which is a neat trick we've seen before.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
