diff --git a/.golangci.yml b/.golangci.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b77191b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.golangci.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+run:
+  deadline: 5m
+  tests: false
+  silent: true
+
+linters-settings:
+  lll:
+    line-length: 180
+
+linters:
+  enable-all: true
+  disable:
+  - gas
+  - interfacer
+  - maligned
+  - nakedret
+
+issues:
+  exclude-use-default: false
+  exclude:
+  - composite literal uses unkeyed fields
+  - Error return value of `.+\.Close` is not checked
diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 84279f4..12b24b8 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+sudo: true
 language: go
 go:
   - 1.10.x
@@ -9,8 +10,6 @@ env:
     - DB="scylla"
     - DB="cassandra"
 
-sudo: true
-
 dist: trusty
 addons:
   apt:
@@ -21,8 +20,7 @@ before_install:
   - ./.travis_start_db.sh
 
 install:
-  - make get-deps
-  - make get-tools
+  - make get-deps get-tools
 
 script:
   - make
diff --git a/.travis_start_db.sh b/.travis_start_db.sh
index f1e68ae..0df92da 100755
--- a/.travis_start_db.sh
+++ b/.travis_start_db.sh
@@ -20,3 +20,5 @@ cassandra)
     ;;
 
 esac
+
+until nc -vz 127.0.0.1 9042; do sleep 1; done
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index a329916..6ebb043 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,44 +1,28 @@
-all: check test bench
+all: check test
 
 ifndef GOBIN
 export GOBIN := $(GOPATH)/bin
 endif
 
+define dl
+	@curl -sSq -L $(2) -o $(GOBIN)/$(1) && chmod u+x $(GOBIN)/$(1)
+endef
+
+define dl_tgz
+	@curl -sSq -L $(2) | tar zxf - --strip 1 -C $(GOBIN) --wildcards '*/$(1)'
+endef
+
 .PHONY: fmt
-fmt: ## Format source code
+fmt:
 	@go fmt ./...
 
 .PHONY: check
-check: ## Perform static code analysis
-check: .check-misspell .check-lint
-
-.PHONY: .check-fmt
-.check-fmt:
-	@go fmt ./... | tee /dev/stderr | ifne false
-
-.PHONY: .check-misspell
-.check-misspell:
-	@$(GOBIN)/misspell ./...
-
-.PHONY: .check-lint
-.check-lint:
-	@$(GOBIN)/golangci-lint run -s --disable-all -E govet -E errcheck -E staticcheck \
-	-E gas -E typecheck -E unused -E structcheck -E varcheck -E ineffassign -E deadcode \
-	-E gofmt -E golint -E gosimple -E unconvert -E dupl -E depguard -E gocyclo \
-	--tests=false \
-	--exclude-use-default=false \
-	--exclude='composite literal uses unkeyed fields' \
-	--exclude='Error return value of `.+\.Close` is not checked' \
-	--exclude='G104' \
-	--exclude='G304' \
-	--exclude='G401' \
-	--exclude='G501' \
-	./...
+check:
+	@$(GOBIN)/golangci-lint run ./...
 
 GOTEST := go test -cover -race -tags all
 
 .PHONY: test
-test: ## Run unit and integration tests
 test:
 	@$(GOTEST) .
 	@$(GOTEST) ./migrate
@@ -54,12 +38,7 @@ get-deps:
 	go get -t ./...
 
 .PHONY: get-tools
-get-tools: GOPATH := $(shell mktemp -d)
 get-tools:
 	@echo "==> Installing tools at $(GOBIN)..."
-	@mkdir -p $(GOBIN)
+	@$(call dl_tgz,golangci-lint,https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/releases/download/v1.9.3/golangci-lint-1.9.3-linux-amd64.tar.gz)
 
-	@go get -u github.com/client9/misspell/cmd/misspell
-	@go get -u github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/cmd/golangci-lint
-
-	@rm -Rf $(GOPATH)
diff --git a/gocqlxtest/gocqlxtest.go b/gocqlxtest/gocqlxtest.go
index 4950946..5725d62 100644
--- a/gocqlxtest/gocqlxtest.go
+++ b/gocqlxtest/gocqlxtest.go
@@ -86,13 +86,13 @@ func createKeyspace(tb testing.TB, cluster *gocql.ClusterConfig, keyspace string
 	c.Timeout = 30 * time.Second
 	session, err := c.CreateSession()
 	if err != nil {
-		panic(err)
+		tb.Fatal(err)
 	}
 	defer session.Close()
 
 	err = ExecStmt(session, `DROP KEYSPACE IF EXISTS `+keyspace)
 	if err != nil {
-		panic(fmt.Sprintf("unable to drop keyspace: %v", err))
+		tb.Fatalf("unable to drop keyspace: %v", err)
 	}
 
 	err = ExecStmt(session, fmt.Sprintf(`CREATE KEYSPACE %s
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ func createKeyspace(tb testing.TB, cluster *gocql.ClusterConfig, keyspace string
 	}`, keyspace, *flagRF))
 
 	if err != nil {
-		panic(fmt.Sprintf("unable to create keyspace: %v", err))
+		tb.Fatalf("unable to create keyspace: %v", err)
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/reflectx/reflect.go b/reflectx/reflect.go
index 4d1588d..659782e 100644
--- a/reflectx/reflect.go
+++ b/reflectx/reflect.go
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ type kinder interface {
 
 // mustBe checks a value against a kind, panicing with a reflect.ValueError
 // if the kind isn't that which is required.
-func mustBe(v kinder, expected reflect.Kind) {
+func mustBe(v kinder, expected reflect.Kind) { // nolint: unparam
 	if k := v.Kind(); k != expected {
 		panic(&reflect.ValueError{Method: methodName(), Kind: k})
 	}