Galveston

A Novel

By: Nic Pizzolatto

Narrated by: Michael Kramer

Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

From the creator, writer, and executive producer of the HBO series True Detective and soon to be a major motion picture comes a dark and visceral novel set along the wastelands of Galveston.

On the same day that Roy Cady is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he senses that his boss, a dangerous loan-sharking bar-owner, wants him dead. Roy is alert to the possibility that a routine assignment could be a deathtrap. Yet what the would-be killers do to Roy Cady is not the same as what he does to them, and after a smoking spasm of violence, they are mostly dead and he is mostly alive.

Before Roy makes his getaway, he realizes there are two women in the apartment, one of them still breathing, and he sees something in her frightened, defiant eyes that causes a fateful decision. He takes her with him as he goes on the run from New Orleans to Galveston, Texas—an action as ill-advised as it is inescapable. The girl's name is Rocky, and she is too young, too tough, too sexy—and far too much trouble. Roy, Rocky, and her sister hide in the battered seascape of Galveston's country-western bars and seedy hotels, a world of treacherous drifters, pickup trucks, and ashed-out hopes.

Recalling the moody violence of the early novels of Cormac McCarthy and Denis Johnson, this powerful, potent, and atmospheric thriller is impossible to put down.

©2010 Nic Pizzolatto (P)2010 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Impressive.... Pizzolatto's insightful portrayal of the heroic Roy...is rough and tumble real." ( Publishers Weekly)

Great and Great - writing and narration

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. I can use this book as an example to my writing friends - see- this is how it's done. Pizzolatto infuses his story with layers of description. It's the writing that takes it to another level. He is a master.

What other book might you compare Galveston to and why?

The Butcher's Boy - criminal with a distorted sense of right and wrong.

What does Michael Kramer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Michael Kramer doesn't lend much passion to his reading, and that's exactly how I imagine Roy Cady to be. Always direct and moving forward. No time for the peripheral side of life.
Michael Kramer is the reason I gave this story a listen. I love the way he reads.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. I prefer to savor in small sections. This is a book that I would listen to repeatedly. I think that's a bigger compliment.

Very very gripping and wow 😳

I barely ever read fiction, but this was some great writing. I really hope he puts out another novel before too long!

Wow! Just Wow!

I saw the movie first and wanted to see if the book filled in some of the empty spaces. And, of course it did! It is a difficult story, but beautifully written and wonderfully narrated. Michael Kramer was, in my opinion, the perfect narrator for this book. His voice captures Roy Cady's weary soul so well. It is at times, heartbreaking, at others defiant, angry, confused, and Mr, Kramer nails every nuance. Really enjoyed this!

I bought this because I loved True Detective

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, it's slow and predictable

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The most interesting aspect has to be that Nic wrote this and somehow wrote True Detective. The least interesting was the man saves young prostitute trope.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Sure

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

Any additional comments?

Re watch True Detective, it's better than this

Excellent Book!!!!!

This was an excellent book! I first became acquainted with the author like a lot of people, by watching the True Detective. I was looking for a good novel to listen to.

Well, mission accomplished. This book is captivating. The story unfolds seamlessly. The narrator is a perfect fit for the main character. The story moves like the first season of true detective, between the past and the present, but the listener is able to follow the storyline without confusion.

I was drawn completely into the life of the main character, Roy Kady. The writer had done his job well when the reader does that.

I recommend this book and will order other books by the author.

Interesting

I did like this book but there wasn't enough going on. By the end I would've given it more stars but getting there was just kind of MEH...I loved Roy

Happy to find this talent

If you could sum up Galveston in three words, what would they be?

Raw, fresh, honest

What was one of the most memorable moments of Galveston?

Rocky returning to the motel and realizing he has returned.

Which character – as performed by Michael Kramer – was your favorite?

The main character .. Ray.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.

Any additional comments?

I suppose everyone knows this is the writer of the tv show True Detective.

Galveston

Pizzolatto turned his killer protagonist into an unlikely, jaded by life's hard knocks. The setting is too reminiscent of my own Gulf Coast childhood haunts with a hurricane looming. The only criticism of the audio version is that Kramer mispronounced one of the Louisiana towns.

Great, sad story

This book gives you an inside glance at a couple of very sad lives. The main characters have things very hard, and the story that plays out here is hard to read, at times. Left me feeling very sad for them. Excellent author, and a great narrator. Not every book is supposed to leave you feeling uplifted and as if everything is solved and wrapped up in a nice little bow. This book is that exception. Very good, though.

Ingenious! C. McCarthy w/his own originality! Yes!

What made the experience of listening to Galveston the most enjoyable?

I couldn't put this down! It's been a long while since I've listened/read a book this good. Please write, and write, and.... The number one best thing on HBO this year has been "True Detective" written by Nic Piaaolatto. This sequence, with Matthew McConaughey & Woody Harrelson, was written by Mr. Pizzolatto, and is like nothing I've ever seen before, so I was thrilled there was a book by the same writer who wrote the show. "Galveston" is so good, I had to check the author out on the internet and the good news is, he's just getting started.
Today, it seems we only have writers that can pen an imaginary/make-believe world, with a demon of sorts, coming down to terrorize the people on earth. No, now we have what we all know to be a man who can sit down and tell a story.Thank you Mr. P.
As for "Galveston", each scene takes you there, the characters he uses, and the locations are dead-on. The only problem with this book: it ends with the protagonist in his later years, suggesting there will be no sequels.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Galveston?

I'm from central Texas, and lived in New Orleans, so I'm familiar with the area of the book. For me, because of this, it was all memorable. He paints the hotel, where they live and you feel as if you, too, are a tenant, interacting with the people staying there. Some of the scenes like when they go to Rocky's home. You see it so clearly. And oh, when she's telling about the rabbits.....oh my....

Which character – as performed by Michael Kramer – was your favorite?

Michael Krammer is Roy Cody; nabbed him dead on. The perfect reader for the part! Do not change him if Roy Cody shows up again some where in another book. Please!!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending, along with the rest of the book, is SO WELL DONE!!

Any additional comments?

I also have to thank the publishers/Audible for using Micheal Krammer, the reader of the book. He, with his voice, makes you believe you're listening to the real Roy Cody, the main character of the book. This is the first time I've listened to any of the books he's written. After the book was finished, I immediately checked him out.