Crime novels aren't something I read, but I like that this one features a detective who is different from the stereotypical hard/grizzled/worn down by the work sort of officer. I believe he has a PhD, and all his book knowledge isn't necessarily taken seriously by his colleagues, though he's gone through the same police training as them. I wouldn't say it's excessively gruesome, but it's certainly provocative and not really to my tastes.