The show stays really close to the books, to the point that I had constant déjà vus while watching the show after reading the books (some scenes were really close to how I imagined them while reading). But, while I liked the show, I must say that the pacing was off. I often had to force myself to watch some episodes, and I only did it because I knew the payoff (a few episodes later) was worth it.

I started watching it with my wife, she loved it at first (she likes crime stories, so the detective storyline helped her get into the show) but she didn't want to continue past the third season.

I finished the entire series and I liked it overall, but I agree it's not perfect.