This retelling of the 1912 sinking of the Titanic differs from other accounts in that it focuses on the SS Californian, the nearby ship that ignored the ocean liner's desperate signal flares. The story is told from two viewpoints: one of an alcoholic reporter who suspects that the Californian could have saved lives that night, and the other from the second officer on that ship, whose captain chose not to take action. Steadman, the reporter, is sinking in his own way: a failed marriage, a writing style that doesn't work for his new and aggressive editor, and a habit of hitting the bottle. The second officer, Stone, was terrified of his father as a child, and is equally scared of Captain Lord. Who made the fateful decision not to sail toward the Titanic? Steadman has to figure out if it is the haunted Stone or the self-certain Lord. VERDICT Offering an alternative perspective on a popular subject of historical fiction, this decent first novel will also interest readers who enjoy characters who are flawed, complex, and conflicted.—W. Keith McCoy, Somerset Cty. Lib. Syst., Bridgewater, NJ