The Midnight Watch is told primarily through the lens of the Californian, the ship that allegedly watched Titanic sink without going to her aid. Dyer apparently has a history as both a lawyer and as a sailor - in fact, he worked as an attorney for one of the firms that represented Titanic's owners in 1912, so he had access to all sorts of archival documents. I think this really helped him dig into the issue from a place of knowledge, which really helped him address a new side of the story.
Dyer examines the issue of what may have happened on the Californian that night and why (possibly) the men in charge did not go to Titanic's aid. It's a poignant reminder of how easily the disaster might have been avoided, without being a rehash of the same sort of Titanic plot we've seen before.
The other reason I enjoyed this story is that it's told from a split perspective; from the second officer of the Californian's perspective, but also from the perspective of a newspaper reporter who is determined to figure out what happened and why.
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| The Californian |
I think it serves as a good (and timely) reminder as to why the media is important and the role they can serve for our society. It also helps add to the feel of tension - we see both sides grappling with the same issue. On the other hand, Dyer does a good job of not making this feel like a good verses evil story. It would be easy to paint the Californian officers as terrible people, and Dyer avoids that, which I think helps add depth to the story.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It had all the elements for me - a topic I am interested in, a bit of a legal aspect to the story, and an in-depth look at another angle of historical event. Definitely recommend.
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