Experienced cave explorers also enjoy Deep Secrets, as we see in this book review by Scott Schmitz:

    “I had been a grotto member for little more than a year when I first heard of Lechuguilla Cave. You knew something big was happening out there near Carlsbad Caverns, you could hear the excitement in the voices of those who talked about what was going on. And then the published reports began coming out and the pictures began to be shown. The news kept getting better and better and you knew this was the most exciting thing to happen to caving since the Flint Ridge system was connected to Mammoth.
    Deep Secrets is the tale of those first heady years and it recaptures the excitement that was felt in those days. It deserves to be placed on the shelf next to Brucker and Watson's The Longest Cave , which it resembles in a way.
    Both stories start with a couple friends just wondering if certain stories about a certain hole were true and why not poke around a little? And then discovery piles upon discovery, attracting the best and the brightest. And then the politics intrude and skullduggery abounds. Both stories end at major turning points with much left to be done, leaving the reader crying for more. These are the books that want you to go out and go caving.
    It is a weird feeling reading about people you know. A lot of Southern California Grotto people participated in the early explorations of Lechuguilla. There were important efforts made by Carol Vesely and Bill Farr, and Dave Bunnell is mentioned as well. I wish I could have been among those who went on what seemed like bimonthly trips to New Mexico but life got in the way. This book tells vividly the details of journeys that were barely mentioned in the Recent Trips section of The Explorer. I wish I knew more then about what went on and about what I missed.
    The book is also a cautionary tale of classic cave karma. Intense egos were involved from the very beginning. The project was snatched out from under the grasp of the original organizer, but those who nabbed the project in turn had the project taken from them as well. Success not only went to those who could organize better and survey further but also to those who were more open and willing to compromise for the greater good of the cave and the cavers who willingly gave of their time. And as always it was the landowner, in this case the National Park Service, who had the final word about who does what to their cave. Of course history is written by the victors, and the victors are clearly the authors of this book
    But that's enough talk about the politics. Politics is only the background of the grand sweeping tale of discovery. The book starts with a promising dig that led to the breakthrough followed by the first tentative reconnaissance and the realization of the sheer size of what the diggers had found. You follow as each penetration meets and overcomes new obstacles both geologic and human.
    You learn about the naming of each new room and each notable feature and try with the surveyors to puzzle out their meaning. One by one the wonders of the cave are trotted out and examined with the fresh air of discovery, the excitement of virgin passage vividly reconstructed for the reader.
    No cave of Lechuguilla's size has been explored so publicly and so fast before. The exploration of the Flint Ridge System detailed in The Longest Cave stretched over seventeen years. Deep Secrets covers only seven years for maybe the same amount of passage. You can see between the two books the evolution of American caving techniques, especially single rope technique and cave camping technique. And even during the exploration itself, old techniques continued to evolve and new techniques developed. And the ethics of exploration also changed as an understanding of the cave's environment expanded. The authors do not hide the impact the fast and furious pace of exploration has had on the cave despite every effort to keep impacts to a minimum, from the first steps into a virgin area to the many photo/video trips and the detailed inventory studies.
    And then comes the impact of the rescue.
    In many parts of the book the dangers of cave exploration are vividly recalled as participants get lost or narrowly survive the breakdown of equipment. The rescue of Emily Davis Mobley is the climax of the book, and rightly so. There have been more dangerous rescues, more dire circumstances than the one faced by Emily when she breaks her leg out in the Western Borehole. But never had a rescue been attempted from so deep a cave and from so remote a location. The story of the rescue of Emily Davis Mobley is a study in logistics, a juggling act between the needs of the cavers and the needs of the cave and the uncomfortable glare of the media spotlight. A whole book alone could be made from that rescue. The authors hit enough of the high points and touch upon enough of the main problems to make this chapter required reading for everyone in the cave rescue community.
    Despite the fact that the book was written by four authors who were deeply involved in most of the behind-the-scene struggles, the book reads seamlessly, a feat the authors gratefully acknowledge as the task of Larry Fish. The bibliography alone is worth the cost of the book. If caving is even a little bit in your blood, this book is a must.”
                                                   Scott Schmitz:
                                                   The Explorer - November 1999

And there’s more. Here’s a brief summary of what several other noted authors have said about Deep Secrets:

“The discovery and early exploration of Lechuguilla is THE great adventure story of the current generation of cavers. Deep Secrets tells the story in rich, intimate detail, caver to caver, reveling in the glory and beauty of a truly amazing underground wilderness. It will leave you breathless.”
                                                   Michael Ray Taylor, author of
                                                   Dark Life and Cave Passages

“I am not a caver, but I was fascinated by Deep Secrets. The excitement, thrills, technical complexity, and political intricacy of the exploration and mapping of Lechuguilla Cave makes for an adventure that covers the full range of human ingenuity, perseverance, physical stamina, competition, and cooperation.”
                                                   Joanne Greenberg, author of
                                                   I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

“This is sure to become a classic in the world of cave literature. A much needed chapter in the history of caving. Move over The Longest Cave, there's a new kid on the block now.”
                                                   Paul Steward, author of
                                                   Tales of Dirt, Danger, and Darkness