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  • The Midnight Watch

  • By: David Dyer
  • Narrated by: Robert Fass
  • Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (70 ratings)

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The Midnight Watch

By: David Dyer
Narrated by: Robert Fass
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Publisher's Summary

On a black night in April 1912, fifteen hundred passengers and crew perish as the Titanic slowly sinks beneath the freezing waters of the North Atlantic. Charting the same perilous course through the icebergs is the SS Californian, close enough for her crew to see the eight white distress rockets fired by the Titanic. Yet the Californian fails to act, and later her crew insist that they saw nothing.

As news of the disaster spreads throughout America, journalists begin a feeding frenzy, desperate for stories. John Steadman is one such reporter, a man broken by alcoholism, grief and a failed marriage. Steadman senses blood as he fixates on the Californian and his investigation reveals a tense and perplexing relationship between the ship's captain and second officer, who hold the secrets of what occurred that night. Slowly he peels back the layers of deception, and his final, stunning revelation of what happened while the Titanic sank will either redeem the men of the Californian, or destroy them.

©2016 David Dyer (P)2016 Audible, Ltd

What listeners say about The Midnight Watch

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Haunting, beautiful, human story that surprises.

If you have an interest in Titanic you should get this, even if you think you have read and know everything about the disaster. If your interest in the Titanic is passing or found its high water mark when you watched James Cameron's film, you may be thinking do I need this in my library. Well you do!!
This novel is not so much about the Titanic's lone disaster of failing to see ice burgs or having enough life boats for all the passengers, but instead focusses on the disaster of the California, the infamous ship that was close enough to see Titanic's lights, but failed to answer her eight distress rockets seen by the second mate of the California on his titular midnight watch. The ship was a cruise ship belonging to the same company The White Star Line, Captained by a very capable Englishman of the Merchant Navy. The mystery of why the California failed to come to Titanic's aid is what the book aims to answer.
The story is well written, extremely well researched, the author obviously loves everything maritime and absolutely respects deeply the subject matter as well as the characters both fictional and non fictional, and captures the spirit of the times while never falling into tropes.

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Ele
  • 29-05-2016

Great book

Beautifully captured the intricacies of human nature and its failings in relation to a mammoth disaster

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Mae
  • 30-10-2017

Thought Provoking

I nearly didn't persevere with this book, but once I got into the story, I just wanted to see why the distress signals were ignored. Kept me interested then until the end, which was very thought provoking. The narrator's voice was a bit annoying, but otherwise a great book.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Tedious

Had to play this book on double time because it was so slow and dull. Could have all been said in one paragraph. Pride, loyalty, seamen's code of conduct, classism, different perceptions of the same truth...yawn. I think we've talked about the Titanic enough now.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Well constructed

When I first started listening to the book I thought I must have the wrong book. David did an excellent job laying a foundation in the early chapters, slowly building up to a crescendo at the end. As the book drew on I found it harder and harder to stop listening

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Historically intriguing

Where does The Midnight Watch rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is an excellent perspective on the Titanic story. It is not the best book I've read this year but it is one that I enjoyed immensely.

What other book might you compare The Midnight Watch to, and why?

I would have to say A Night to Remember by Walter Lord. This is the flip side of that night in the Atlantic.

What does Robert Fass bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

I always get more by reading books myself. As I was sick I found the audible reading less of a strain on my eyes.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes. When the wife of Herbert Stone tried to give her husband a legacy by telling Steadman what a beautiful man he was.

Any additional comments?

If you like the story of the night the Titanic sunk you'll enjoy this story. Stanley Lord, captain of the California comes across as a self-centred jerk till the end when Dyer allows Steadman to give the elderly captain an out for his culpability on that night.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A different angle on the Titanic story

A very easy to listen to story from the point of view of a journalist reporting on the Titanic disaster. However he was interested to know more about the Californian, a ship within sight of the Titanic that did nothing to help. I found it quite intriguing and well written and well read.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A different look at the Titanic story

A slow start, but worth persisting with. It is easy to become invested in discovering the truth.

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