Fala:
Having read all this after the show ended, I feel like the changes they applied to the story made for a better told and more compelling show. It seems they looked at the problems of the novel and thought about how they could be improved and how the whole story could be adapted for television. It wasn't perfect but it managed to stay exiting until the ending and with all the small background stories of the characters sprinkled in I could connect with all of them.
Thank you guys so much for this comparison! I think I will not read the novel as I am quite content with the show.
Yes, that’s exactly what they did.
I personally liked the novel enough, but it had a huge structural and pacing problem (the third act is pretty much post-climax and becomes standard BL which was removed from the series, which is a good thing because the plot regarding Bunn’s ex was totally like a different novel already.
Moreover, the revelations on Jane’s murder also were not “exciting” enough nor was the final resolution regarding the perpetrator. It ultimately was a relatively mundane crime that would not have made for interesting TV.
The strength of the book, I think, is how it really got into Tann and Bunn’s heads. But internal monologue, which is great for novels, may not work well in an audio-visual medium like TV.
So it was clear that the director and screenwriters knew this and elevated the show.