I've said it before and I'll say it again...in terms of Trek books, I'm glad DS9 has ended. That show had so much more depth and potential for interesting stories than the other Trek incarnations, and now that it's over, authors are daring to do something relatively new in the overcrowded, formulaic Trek series -- come up with a plot.
Until now, just about every book is, so and so on the Enterprise must solve/find this before the galaxy is destroyed. Not only is it episodic and boring, but it's repetitive. 34th rule gives us a welcome break. Spanning not the typical couple of days, but a full 2-3 months, this book gives us the absolute best character development we've seen yet in a book, and brings in racism and the Ferengi like we've never seen them before.
There is some genuine suspense, and a very interesting, if convoluted, little war. And don't skip this book thinking it's going to be a farce like the "Ferengi episodes" in the show. It's not, in fact, Quark is barely in the second part.
There's also a running joke throughout the book where Ferengi that Armin has previously portrayed in TNG show up. The only negative point in this book is that the whole Colonal Mitra thing is never really cleared up. Other than that it's fantastic. Read it.