I totally forgot how much this book delves into some New York history. This second time around reading it, I learned a lot about the composition and variations of dirt and about certain nieghborhoods of NYC, and a little more about Lincoln Rhyme. I didn't think he was as fleshed out as I remembered, but then I have the hindsight of learning more about his character through out all the other volumes about him. I had forgotten that Dellray started out as a sort-of unlikeable FBI agent who becomes a more developed character throughout the series. Overall it's a solid storyline with lots of interesting tidbits about forensic investigation, and I am just about to dive into my next Deaver re-read.