So I read Nic Pizzolatto's debut (and I believe only) novel, Galveston. Bought the Kindle copy (it's currently $2.99 in the U.S.) around eight at night, finished it by four in the morning (I'm currently recovering from minor surgery so I have some free time). It hooked me instantly, it's a quick and easy read, and I thought it was quite good. Not mind-blowing or anything, but extremely solid with a few flashes of greatness. There were many similarities to True Detective. It's set in the south, it has a rather bleak tone/story, and the characters/plot was actually quite stereotypical on the surface, yet he adds incredible depth and realness to the characters and the execution of the story in general makes the cliche veneer a positive quality. Just like True Detective, the two main characters are something we've seen a million times before, but their depth and psychology is heavily explored in great way. The novel honestly gave me a great confidence that we're just seeing the tip of the ice-berg with True Detective, and it's really going to be something special.
It's funny too because the way Pizzolatto describes the landscape of the different states is like a prose version of the imagery we see in TD. After reading this I have no doubt that he must've had an enormous influence on cinematography (which really isn't also common with writers in filmmaking --I know they cite him as the creator of the show, but is he basically the showrunner or co-showrunner of it with heavy creative control?).
I highly suggest that anyone who likes TD to give Galveston a try, at least the sample. It's a steal at $2.99.