A disclaimer: Horn is gripping for reasons already noted on this page: her aptitude for getting deep under the skin of her subjects, and bringing that depth deep under the skin of her readers. Her captivating voice and yen for the finer details of procedure, of files, of inventory. Her compassion for the dead and use of the book as a eulogy for them.
Et cetera.
But: here's what's absolutely remarkable about it. Walking around the streets of Brooklyn (and though The Restless Sleep is local to New York, these stories can be dropped onto any city, really), you feel you've been treated to a history lesson, a detailed reminder of the ghosts in the buildings, under the streets, in the waters around you. This morbid niche of history helps comprise the breathing pulse of a city, and this is the moral lesson here.
And: what matters most-- it's simply a great read.