Not an easy book to review as there’s plenty and lots of things that remained
Loved it
Tnx for this digital copy

I was such a fan of “My Father’s House”, the previous book in this series - it was probably the best book I read in 2024. A main reason for this was the character of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty who was portrayed wonderfully in that book and was very much the linchpin of the story. The fact that O’Flaherty was a real person whose story was being portrayed is what made that novel so appealing.
Hugh O’Flaherty is in this new book but has a much-reduced role and unfortunately, the story really misses his input. “Ghosts of Rome” is not so much based in fact (other than the location and time) but tells a story of that time, rather than being a true story.

“Ghosts of Rome” is a very different book, although the story is still thrilling and is presented in the same lyrical, image-inspiring prose of the first novel (O’Connor is a fantastic writer) but it is less focused due to much of the story relating to the ensemble, than a particular character.
It is nice to have the same characters appearing in this novel, but where “My Father’s House” was a story of the establishment and running of the Rome Escape Line, “Ghosts of Rome” has this much more the background to rather than its core. To be fair, a rehash/repeat of that fantastic first novel may have been what I wanted but that is what it would have been – repetition. “Ghosts of Rome” may utilise much of the same ‘cast’ as last time but is very much its own story. Not least, it is another great literary thriller, and there are not many of them about.

The Ghosts of Rome is a richly atmospheric and emotionally resonant continuation of Joseph O’Connor’s Rome Escape Line trilogy. Set in early 1944, it shifts the spotlight from Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty to the resilient Contessa Giovanna Landini—whose palazzo’s commandeering by a Nazi officer sparks a suspenseful psychological battleground.

O’Connor’s prose crackles with urgency, his short, sharp sentences creating a world in constant peril where fear and courage waver on a knife’s edge. The story unfolds through multiple voices—from the Choir’s resistance fighters to Hauptmann’s own conflicted mindset—interspersed with fictional BBC interviews and memoir snippets that deepen the narrative’s historical texture.

The novel transcends genre, becoming less a conventional thriller and more a meditation on memory, moral resistance, and enduring humanity amid darkness. Despite the weight of war, moments of wit and warmth shine through, offering glimpses of selflessness and humor in unexpected places.

While I missed the suspenseful pull of the first book, this installment compensates with depth—its characters haunted, the stakes ever-present, and the writing beautifully immersive.

For goodness sake another incredible beautiful tragic masterpiece from Mr Joe O Connor. I want to wander the Vatican with these ghosts. Thankyou for every word x x

A brilliant follow up to My Father's House (a wonderful read).

A well written compelling read with stunningly vivid descriptive writing.

The Ghosts of Rome is the second book in the Rome Escape Lines Trilogy by Joseph O’Connor. We are once again amongst “The Choir”, a group of people who risk everything to run the escape line within Rome and the confines of the Vatican City.
Time has moved on and the German High command are not happy with the fact that the escape line seems to be thriving right under the nose of Gestapo Chief Paul Hauptmann. Finding himself under a lot of pressure he is resorting to extreme measures in his quest to flush out the ringleaders and capture all the people they are helping yet they always seem to be one step ahead.
The choir know that every time they move on someone or “book” as they are known, there are so many peoples lives they are putting at risk but doing nothing is not really an option and in some cases, they have given up very comfortable lives to do what is right. When they come across an injured polish pilot, the need to help him puts them at risk on more than one occasion.
The book goes between the midst of the action to accounts from some of the group after the war and there were times that I felt it took me out of the flow of the story being told but when I switched from reading to audiobook I found it was less noticeable and these switches actually added to the actions of the group and what they went through.
This may be a work of fiction based on the actions of Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty however this time the author concentrated on others within the group, establishing them as multidimensional people who at times let their emotions rule their decisions. I really liked the Contessa as she was not afraid to do everything that was necessary to complete the mission even if it meant standing up to Hauptmann.
Throughout the book the action and tension are relentless, and you are swept along with the group as they try to work out who they can trust and how they can outsmart the ever-present Nazi soldiers. Their dedication to their cause saved countless lives. Joseph O’Connor has a style that does not shy away from the brutality of the time but also shows the compassion that so many people had despite the horrors they faced. I am looking forward to the next book in the series to see if it fills in some of the gaps left from the ending of The Ghosts of Rome.

Having really enjoyed the first book in this trilogy I was delighted to get a review copy.
The book is historical fiction based on real life events. The escape line or The Choir based on the Vatican city hid and assisted allied soldiers and those in need to safety or out of Rome.
The storyline follows the groups attempts to save an injured Airman. Tensions within the group are high. The group were being closely watched by the Germans and every step is perilous for all involved. The bravery of the Choir was amazing.
The last chapter was a lovely ending.
A great read which had me goggling the real life occupation of Rome , activities of the Choir and the people involved

Having read 'In my Father's House' sometime ago, when I saw there was a sequel I was very happy. This, like his previous book, was well researched and it takes full account of the horrors of war. This is a work of fiction centring on the fictional Contessa Landini, her household and their relationship with SS in poor in Rome. . As you read this book you will read of escapes and hiding places; hardships and tragedy. It is a hard read in terms of the nature of what happened but, the story of the brave people who lived their lives in these times and experienced these dangers MUST be told. In truth I liked the way this story allows readers to experience these situations.

Thank you to Netgalley and Vintage Digital for allowing me to read this.

'The Ghosts of Rome' is Joseph O'Connor's second book in the Escape Line Trilogy. It can easily be read as a standalone.

The historical novel is set in Rome in spring 1944 during the Nazi occupation of the city. It centers around the Irish priest Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty and the the Escape Line activists, also called 'The Choir'. It is a group of people who help refugees and Allied prisoners to escape and hide, often under threat to their own lives.

It is a fascinating read with vivid descriptions which transports you straight into wartime Rome. This is historical novel which brings a not so well known resistance group to the attention of the reader. You can see that Josep O'Connor has put an immense amount of research into his novel.

I am very much looking forward to the next installment by this gifted writer.

An amazing read! Thank you for the opportunity of reading this ahead of publishing date :) it was a fantastic read

Once more I was moved to tears.

When you write such an intimate historical novel you have both a duty to characters and to the readers. I feel author Joseph O’Connor succeeds on each count. He has taken facts and people and re-imagined the struggle in war-time Rome.

This is a well conceived novel which has a group of individuals, ‘The Choir’ led by Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty to find sanctuary and safety for escaped prisoners of war, creatively called ‘books’”

This is another work of fiction which has been well researched to be accurate in context and the historical reality in 1944.
Fictionally portrayed here is a real person: Hugh O'Flaherty CBE (28 February 1898 – 30 October 1963) a Catholic priest. It is said of him, on the historical record, that he was responsible for saving 6,500 Allied soldiers and Jews.”

The storytelling enables one to understand the dangers in resistance to the occupation. The risks and consequences if caught or betrayed for helping, hiding or disclosing the location of Jews or allied combatants.
The writing places you in the heart of the conflict and engaged in the deception and sharing the fear of capture and torture. Acts of selfless valour in secret and without reward other than to save lives and fight back against the enemy.
The author does not make light of these events; he reflects upon the horrors of war without any glory in its action.

Although this is a fictional account it reads like a historical memoir. Full of character, convincing dialogue, with each chapter filled with tension and an impending danger.

It is riveting, chilling and heart warming that ordinary people would be so brave and courageous in the face of death.

The Ghosts of Rome is the second book in the author’s Rome Escape Line trilogy. I loved My Father’s House but, if that’s possible, I loved this one even more. As before, the book has a wonderful cast of characters. (Many of them were real people who committed acts of the utmost bravery as part of the actual Choir.)

The author brings each character brilliantly to life, in particular through the invented transcripts of interviews recorded twenty years after the events, allowing us to hear the distinctive voices the author has created for them. For example, the acerbic wit and Irish lilt of diplomat’s wife, Delia Kiernan (my favourite) or the Cockney accent and sardonic asides of John May.

As the book opens, Gestapo chief Paul Hauptmann is under increasing pressure from Berlin to bring an end to the activities of ‘The Choir’ and capture the escaped Allied prisoners hidden in places across Rome and in the Vatican City itself. Not only is his career on the line but the lives of his wife and daughters too, removed for ‘safe keeping’ by Himmler. Increasingly he tries to justify his own actions: the brutal interrogation of prisoners, the meticulous drawing up of death lists for savage reprisals. ‘Important to push away weakness. Too far along the road. Sometimes a man of peace must perform terrible duties, he tells himself. I had to do what I did, there was no other choice.’ And he has become obsessed with one particular member of the Choir, Contessa Giovanna Landini (known as Jo to her comrades).

Having taken possession of her palazzo, he wanders its corridors admiring her furniture, selecting paintings he thinks Hitler might appreciate, examining her extensive wardrobe and choosing gowns to send to his wife Elise in a vain attempt to win back her favour. (He’s almost certain she’s being unfaithful.) He raids the Contessa’s wine cellar, listens to her records, examines her books and takes midnight strolls in her garden. ‘She feels close to him here – every garden is a portrait of its owner.’ Most creepily of all, he takes to sleeping in her bed.

For The Choir, operating the escape line has become a cat and mouse game but one in which there are thousands of Nazi cats for every mouse. No mercy is shown to those who harbour escapees, there are tempting rewards for those prepared to inform and harsh reprisals on the population of Rome for German soldiers killed in acts of resistance. Add to this Allied bombing raids, food and fuel shortages, and Rome has become a very uncomfortable place in which to live.

The Choir’s missions outside the Vatican have become increasingly dangerous and the burden of responsibility for so many lives is huge. There are escapees hidden in every nook and cranny of Rome: abandoned buildings, crawl spaces, cellars, tunnels, even catacombs. It weighs on all the members of The Choir, but particularly on Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty whom the others look to for guidance. He is physically and mentally exhausted, and finding less and less solace in prayer. ‘Pallid, puff-eyed, watchful, uncombed, he has started to acquire the aura of a man who lives in shadow.’ No wonder, with a bounty on his head. As he confides to Jo, ‘I’m lately on a mission into a shadowy old dungeon – my head – to rescue a beaten-down prisoner – my soul.’

Like My Father’s House, the book combines thrilling action scenes that are full of tension with wonderful writing. There’s also an intriguing sub-plot involving an injured airman that explores the sort of moral dilemmas members of The Choir face. Is saving the life of one man worth endangering the lives of others, including your comrades? Can you live with yourself if you turn away and do nothing?

By the end of the book we know, sadly, there are characters we won’t meet again. But the work must go on because the Nazis are not yet defeated and a savage beast is often most dangerous when cornered.

I found The Ghosts of Rome an utterly compelling historical thriller, full of tension and authentic detail. Although I shall be sorry for the series to end, at the same time I cannot wait for the final book.

I really enjoyed My Fathers House ( this first of this trilogy) wans was looking forward to getting back to this meticulously researched time in Rome at the close of World War 2. The novel gets straight back to the action, picking up where the first book ended. I have read many books in between so while I did love the first book, it took me a little while to refamiliarize myself with the characters. Once I did, the book flowed effortlessly, full of espionage, resistance and survival. I enjoyed the focus shifting to the Contessa, a super character and overall , while this did not quite reach the heights of book one for me, this was an excellent read. I loved the vivid descriptions, the building tension, the various narrative perspectives and I am very much looking forward to book three.

4 stars.

Loosely based on real individuals, organisations and events, O’Connor makes it clear that this is a work of fiction. It’s a tense, menacing account of the escape routes available to allied soldiers in Rome when it was under German occupation in World War II. Initially, I found it challenging to follow the timeline and to keep track of the characters. This may have been partly due to it being a review copy but it was also partly due to O’Connor’s writing style. Personally, I found the staccato narrative a bit wearing, although sometimes it was very effective. It doesn’t draw me towards reading more of his work, however, if this is his preferred style.

On the positive side, this is an exciting read and quite appalling when one considers it is based on actual events. The cruelty and terror of war always takes my breath away and was certainly downplayed by the generation before mine who lived through it. On the negative side, perhaps too many loose ends were conveniently tied up and, as I’ve said, I’m not a fan of the writing style. I enjoyed reading it though and would not have considered leaving it unfinished.

With thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage for a review copy.

Like the first in the series, The Ghosts of Rome is inspired by real events and real people. The author mentions that although many of his characters were historical figures, in the book they are his fictionalised version of them. The story follows the Escape Line, helping people escape Rome. Those involved in this resistance were known as ‘the Choir’ as they met in the guise of a choir so they could discuss and make plans to move those in danger. Many of the characters from the first book are in this but the focus shifts from Father Hugh O’Flaherty to the Contessa and an injured Polish soldier. Suspected collaboration could put the members of the resistance at risk. When people were driven by hunger and fear, you can absolutely understand why they might be tempted to inform.

O’Connor’s writing style gives a real feel of urgency somehow with its short snappy sentences. There’s a palpable sense of danger and tension throughout the books. You are so aware that everyone’s lives teeter on a knife edge – even Hauptmann, the Gestapo leader in Rome.

The narrative unfolds through multiple points of view giving you different perspectives of what’s going on. These are augmented by fictional transcripts of interviews and extracts from memoirs of some of the main players looking back at what has happened. The writing is descriptive in a way that’s deceptively simple, so that you are put right where the characters are, experiencing what they are experiencing and feeling all their emotions in the moment they feel them: fear, bravery, anger, hope.

I probably marginally preferred the first book because of the focus on Father Hugh who I thought was an incredible character, all the more so for having been a real historical figure. Having said that though, I still thought this was a gripping and compelling novel, an excellent literary thriller. Joseph O’Connor is a terrific writer and I’m looking forward to the final part of the trilogy.

This was a brilliant second book in The Rome Escape Line Trilogy, a fictional story based on true events that happened during the Nazi occupation of Rome during World War Two.
Once again the story is told from multiple points of view, in 1944, and also later through interviews for a television programme in the 1960s, looking back at the events that took place.
I remembered how the timeline worked from the first book, so got caught up in the story straight away. It was just as tense as last time, which meant I had to put it down quite a lot to catch my breath. I appreciated the to-ing and fro-ing with the storyline as this eased the tension for me a lot.
Once again I wanted to find out more about certain events and people who’d been involved with the real Escape Line, but I managed to stop myself from going down too many Google rabbit holes. I enjoyed this book just as much as My Father’s House, and can’t wait for the final book in the trilogy, even though I’ve no idea when it will be published.
Highly recommended if you enjoy thrillers set in WW2.

Fantastic follow up to My Father's House. The characters are so richly drawn that reading this book was like visiting an old friend. I read it in record time and can't wait to the last in the trilogy.

This book transported me to war time Rome, its descriptions are so vivid. The fear and suspense are tangible. It is hard to conceive that people actually did these acts of bravery. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

The Ghosts of Rome is the follow-up to My Father's House and also features (the real-life) Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty. He leads an eclectic group of various nationalities in occupied Rome who help escaped Allied prisoners to hide around the city. They operate under cover of a choir which meets regularly in the Vatican.

The story picks up in early 1944. Following the events of My Father’s House the members have taken refuge in the neutral Vatican. They are sharing two rooms in the apartment of the British ambassador but the privations of war add to the accumulating irritations of living at close quarters. (We hear about the banality of evil, but here O’Connor paints a picture of the banality of heroism, which less often makes it into thrillers and movies than the terror and the torture.)

The story in The Ghosts of Rome is driven by the Italian Contessa Giovanna (Jo) Landini. Grieving the loss of her husband and unable to return to the palazzo they shared, she impulsively and without backup takes in a severely wounded airman. This decision drives much of the story.

Meanwhile, the Nazi Commandant, Paul Hauptmann, feels outwitted by the choir and is under pressure from Berlin. He has been forced to send his wife and children back there, where they are effectively hostages. He decides to move into the palazzo. This is meant to humiliate the contessa and assert his claim to the riches of the city, but alone and isolated, he too is haunted by longing and loss.

The Ghosts of Rome really does have everything. There is the adventure story – some brilliant examples of tradecraft from the choir and their allies. We see how they complement (and often conflict with) each other. There’s the atmosphere of Rome – both the courage of the people and the beautiful locations. The characters are vivid with distinctive voices and, threaded through the horrors of occupation, is a rich vein of humour. The mystery of the injured prisoner has an intriguing pay-off and there is even a subtle call-back to O’Connor’s Star of the Sea.

I think I enjoyed The Ghosts of Rome even more than My Father’s House. It’s a delight for literary and thriller readers alike.

I've just finished this book and although it is pretty long, I read it in record time. What compelling writing!
Who can fail to empathise with our various heroes and heroines, and at times it was hard to stop the tears starting to well.
My husband did not enjoy this book as much as I did, although he did enjoy the first one. I wonder if that was because there was a lot of writing compared to the action, as the reader is invited to reflect on the surroundings, the times, the motives and the thoughts of the various characters?
But, I think this book was absolutely captivating. Sad, yes, but wartime is.
I do think it highlighted the privations and behaviour of the general public as well as the military, and was impeccably researched.
It is very hard to get some of those characters, who were real people, out of my head.