As the Allies advance through Italy, Paul Hauptmann is becoming more obsessed with the Escape Line. His failure to break the Roman support has led to his wife and children being recalled to Germany and more pressure is being placed on him. The Escape Line itself is also struggling due to the sheer numbers it is trying to help. The members are under surveillance and trapped in The Vatican for the most part. As the war intensifies, the Contessa and Hauptmann start to play a dangerous game.

This is the second book in the series and is just magnificent. Obviously O'Connor is a sublime writer of fiction and this fictionalised account is where his talents really sing. As O'Connor states, this is fiction but is woven around some known facts about a disparate group of heroes operating out of the Vatican City during occupation. I love the way the present tense is used to accentuate the pace and urgency of the narrative and the characterisation is fantastic.

I read Joseph O’Connor’s My Father’s House fairly recently so was delighted to see the follow-up, The Ghosts of Rome, available for preview. It picks up two months after the first book’s events of Christmas 1943. A clever recap is provided in the form of a secret dossier on the members of underground resistance group known as The Choir operating from Vatican City. In theory safe within the boundary of the neutral state, they are still observed by enemies as they plan their many operations to help the escaped prisoners and refugees hiding on either side of the painted border in St Peter’s Square.
The main narrative – written in a terse style with short sentences and fragments, reminiscent of a screenplay – is interspersed with passages presented as the memoirs or interview transcripts of the members of The Choir: steely Dutch photojournalist Marianna de Vries, charming British Ambassador Frank Osborne, his aide the wisecracking Cockney musician John May, dashing Major Sam Derry, local breath of fresh air Enzo Angelucci, the irrepressible former renowned singer and wife of the Irish Ambassador Delia Kirwan (my favourite – it’s worth reading for her Irish turns of phrase alone), and young widow Contessa Giovanna Landini, modest and brave as hell. Conspicuous by his absence for much of the time is the central character of My Father’s House, Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, the group’s leader. He is still involved in the work but has separated himself somewhat from the others after the fraught Christmas operation.
Rome’s centuries of layers provide cover to move about unseen but the ingenuity and tenacity of the Escape Line operatives are admirable, breathtaking, in the circumstances. One mistake could mean a trip to Gestapo headquarters or a fatal bullet. The German head honcho in Rome is one Paul Hauptmann; as vicious as he is, he is told by staff and supervisors alike that he is too lenient, must wreak harsher vengeance. He is conflicted, haunted, sees and hears things when he’s drunk. How do these Choir members keep evading him?
I really like Joseph O’Connor’s writing. He gets across the tension and terror of living under vicious occupation, subject to bombing raids and food shortages. He makes clear that the versions of the real people he presents are a fabrication and it’s a wondrous one –each has their own voice and a fully realised character. The setting made me yearn to see beyond St Peter’s and the Vatican Museums, to explore the back alleys and subterranean byways of Rome. I recommend this if you want to read a thrilling page-turner based on real events.

Thank you to #PenguinUK for an e-ARC of
#TheGhostsOfRome by #JosephOConnor in return for a review.
The Ghosts of Rome continues the story of The Choir from My Father's House. Set during Lent 1944, Rome is suffering under the rule of Gestapo Commander Paul Hauptmann. Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty is the leader of the Escape Line but is weighed down by the responsibility of keeping everybody safe & the line operational. The Ghosts of Rome deals with the consequences of an unknown pilot parachuting into the fervid amotsphere of Rome under Nazi rule.
While new characters are introduced the story revolves mainly around Contessa Giovanna Landini & her continuing work to help Allied personnel, Jews & others threatened by the Nazis out of Rome. Several other characters return from My Father's House & are woven into the story as well. The tension is ratcheted up when Paul Hauptmann is given orders to destroy The Choir & The Escape Line while the SS force the return of his wife & children to Berlin.
The Ghosts of Rome is a multifaceted, beautifully written novel full of suspense, humanity & history. At times the book reads like a thriller & it was hard to turn the pages fast enough so engrossing was the plot.
Rome is the bedrock on which the book is based & she offers up her secrets in various ways.
It's hard to say I enjoyed this book as sometimes the subject matter was brutal, though in fairness Joseph O' Connor's writing always erred on the understated side. However, I found it hard to put it down & was fascinated by how the story unfolds.
Joseph O'Connor delivers a masterclass in historical writing without ever compromising on the humanity of those he writes about.
This is a timely novel given the world political stage we see unfolding before us.
Excellent storytelling which I can't recommend highly enough.

This is the second book in Joseph O’Connor’s new trilogy inspired by the true story of the Rome Escape Line, a secret network that smuggled thousands of Jewish refugees and Allied soldiers out of Nazi-occupied Rome. The first novel, My Father’s House, introduces us to the work of the Escape Line who meet in the neutral Vatican under the guise of a choir to avoid the attentions of the Gestapo and focuses on one member in particular – Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, the Irish Catholic priest who is the leader of the network.

The Ghosts of Rome continues the story, beginning in February 1944, six months into the Nazi occupation. Although Hugh O’Flaherty is still part of the group, we see very little of him in this book as he steps into the background to let other characters’ stories be told. The main focus this time is the widowed Contessa Giovanna Landini, known as Jo, whose palazzo is commandeered by Gestapo officer Paul Hauptmann. Hitler isn’t satisfied with Hauptmann’s performance in Rome so far and he is under pressure to produce results. If he could obtain evidence of the Choir’s activities he’s sure that would help to improve his reputation with the Führer. Hauptmann hopes that the Contessa, whose house he is living in, will lead him to her fellow Escape Line members, but Jo is a resourceful woman and decides to take advantage of Hauptmann’s interest in her to try to protect herself and the Choir.

Another significant storyline revolves around a Polish airman who is shot down over Rome. Some members of the Escape Line want to help him, but others are more cautious. How can they be sure he is who he says he is? What if he betrays them? When it becomes obvious that he has life-threatening injuries and will die if not treated, they are faced with an important decision to make.

I think I preferred My Father’s House because it was more suspenseful, describing the countdown to a major mission on Christmas Eve, and because I found Hugh O’Flaherty such an interesting character. This is an excellent book as well, though, and I’m sure other readers will like it better than the first one. Although Jo Landini is at the forefront of the story, most of the characters we met in the previous book also reappear, including British Envoy Sir D’Arcy Osborne, diplomat’s wife Delia Kiernan and escaped soldier Sam Derry. We also see a lot of Delia’s teenage daughter, Blon, who is angry when her mother leaves the Escape Line and insists on trying to take her place, which not everyone is happy about! These are all people who really existed, but O’Connor includes an author’s note to explain that the way they are portrayed in the book is just his interpretation and shouldn’t be relied on as fact.

If you haven’t read the previous novel, you’re probably wondering whether it’s necessary to have read it before starting this one. I would say it’s not really essential, but it would make it easier to follow what’s happening in this book. There are a lot of characters and O’Connor constantly switches between different perspectives throughout the novel, as well as inserting passages written in other styles – such as transcripts of (fictional) BBC interviews – which means you do need to pay attention otherwise it would be easy to lose track of things. As with My Father’s House, I was particularly interested in the insights we get into the mind of Paul Hauptmann – a very human villain, which just makes him all the more unsettling to read about. It’s the brave and tireless work of the Escape Line, however, that makes these novels so compelling; in this book, I loved the way they manage to hide hundreds of people inside a derelict old theatre right under the noses of the Gestapo.

This is a planned trilogy and although I can’t see any details of the third book yet, I know it will be something to look forward to!

The follow on title to O'Connor's previous book about the 'Escape Line' in Rome which helped Allied soldiers escape during the WWII, is just as good as his first. I couldn't wait to read it every night and follow the lives of those we had come to know in the first book. It's like a history lesson in the Nazi occupation of Rome but told so compellingly you can't fail to be drawn in. Bring on the third book!

'The Ghosts of Rome' follows on from 'My Father's House' in Joseph O'Connor's 'Escape Line' trilogy, telling the improbable but inspiring story of a small resistance group known as 'The Choir' working from within the Vatican City during the Nazi occupation of Rome.

The first novel focused primarily on the Irish priest Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, the Choir's director; in this installment, set over the course Lent 1944, O'Flaherty has somewhat retreated into the background and we follow other Choir members, particularly Contessa Giovanna Landini, as they continue to help Allied airmen and other prisoners of war and fugitives hide and escape. This includes Bruno, a Polish airman with major injuries who will die if he does not receive medical attention. At the same time, the Gestapo's Paul Hauptmann continues to wage war both on the people of Rome and those involved in the Escape Line, and he has moved into the Contessa's Palazzo.

We witness this game of cat and mouse through a mix of gripping present-tense narration (following Hauptmann, the Choir and those on the run) fictionalised interview transcripts from after the war and other documents. As with 'My Father's House', there are times when it can be quite tricky to keep track of all the action - I think this was a deliberate at times as subsequent revelations sometimes clarified earlier sections, but it does make this a challenging read in place. However, for the most part I found this an exciting and often deeply moving read. Hauptmann offers a fascinating portrait of human evil, but the novel is at is best when celebrating the faith, courage and camaraderie of the Choir. As one member recounts,

"The story of our Roman Escape Line has been characterised as a tale of courage. But it was also always a story of friendship, first and last. The friends we knew and those we did not, some fleetingly encountered, others never at all. I am no sentimentalist, but I call it a love story. I met insanely brave people during the war in Rome."

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book about insane bravery to review.

“‘𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑺𝒂𝒎,’ 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔. ‘𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏. 𝑩𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅’𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇-𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒅, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒃𝒐𝒙 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒇𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕.’”

The Ghosts of Rome is part two of the Rome Escape Line duology, with the first part - My Father’s House - published in January 2023. That book was one of my favourites of the year, and *the* book I recommended to everyone. Needless to say, I was chomping at the bit to get my hands on part two, so I was elated when I was approved for an eARC on @NetGalley.

The Ghosts of Rome continues the story of “the Choir”, headed by Kerryman and Vatican priest Hugh O’Flaherty, whose covert work is to help prisoners (both allied soldiers and Jews) to escape the clutches of the Nazis.

I am, in general, a lover of historical fiction, but I have a particular interest in this specific piece of World War II history in Italy. My beloved aunt, who died almost 3 years ago, told me the story of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, even lending me her DVD of the 1983 movie The Scarlet and the Black, where Gregory Peck plays his part to perfection. Having seen the movie did not detract from Joseph O’Connor’s imagined version of the people and the events. I was going to say that his writing lifts the characters and the place in time off the page, but I think a more accurate description is that his writing inserts the reader into the book - it is that rare and wonderful novel that I feel like I’m inside, walking the cobbled pavements of Rome, holding my breath in the shadows as Gestapo officers march by.

The central characters all reappear, though they are all more weary, more beaten-down by the relentless Nazi occupation and tyranny of SS Commander Paul Hauptman. But their resilience and unbending goodness thrusts them onwards in their work. In contrast to the first book, the second focuses more on Contessa Giovanna Landini, for whom Hauptman has a creepy obsession. I do love a powerful female lead and the Contessa is inimitable.

An early contender for one of my favourite books of the year. If you enjoyed My Father’s House, you will no doubt love this book too.

Second in the trilogy based on the the Escape Line and the Choir which ran from the Vatican in WWII. Like the first book in the series, the author's vivid descriptions makes the reader almost feel like they are there. Fascinating historical insights too about where the 'Books' (escaped POWs) hid including an old theatre, and the pressure of each day & hour trying to evade discovery by the German forces, including the notorious Gestapo commanded by Hauptmann.

Moving, thought provoking and a fine read.

Absolutely incredible, except this is a story based on fact and much of it is true. This is the second book in a trilogy, set in Rome in WWII. It follows the role of a few individuals and the Vatican in helping Allied soldiers escape. Joseph O’Connor is such an amazing storyteller I feel certain he could weave a tale of interest about a cereal box if he set his mind to it. He brings the period and locus to life suggesting extensive research. Occupied Rome was a city under threat. Until starting this trilogy, I had no idea that the Vatican had a role in assisting allied soldiers. I don’t have a positive view of the Vatican but these stories have influenced my opinion for the better. The characters, especially the females are so well drawn and it’s good to see women recognised for their, often understated and underestimated, role. There’s a real sense of threat and tension as the Germans close in and it set my pulse racing, literally. Haunting, exciting, tense and top league, storytelling at its very best…again.

I was really looking forward to this book, as I'd read the first one and thought I'd loved it. But when I read this book, I found it a bit of a slog and it took me weeks to read. I went back to see what I thought I'd liked in book one and found that I didn't in fact love it that much, and had the same issue with the second book as I had the first.

Whilst enjoying the plot line, I struggled to understand all the characters and indeed who was speaking at any given time. The book jumps around in narrative from one person to the next without any real indication. It tells the story of a group of people helping others escape from various scenarios in WW2.

at one point there was a line "The story of our Roman Escape Line... a tale of courage ... a story of friendship, first and last" . I found this quite profound and found myself enjoying the book much more after reading this - focusing on the people and less on the plot.

The book is part 2 of 3, not sure if I will read book 3, although I am interested to see how they all get along post ending of the war.

The book is published on 30th Jan, and I read an digital ARC which was gifted to me by Random House UK @vintagebooks via @Netgalley

This follows on from 'My Father's House'. It follows the Choir a number of months later. Things in Rome have become more difficult for all the members. There is great action and suspense throughout the book. I enjoyed the role of the Contessa in the story. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

The Ghosts of Rome is a book I picked up because I felt I didn't and still don't read a lot of Historical Fiction and I was hoping this would change that. My only issue was that I didn't realise that this was part of the Rome Escape Line Trilogy and it was book 2. I don't know if I've made a mistake in not reading the first one or not, I don't think I had any issues reading this book but I really don't know.

Thank you Random House UK, Vintage, and Harvill Secker for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A further episode in the escape line story set in Rome towards the end of World War Two. The group called The Choir continue aiding escaped pow’s and this time a seriously injured Polish fighter pilot shot down in a raid over the city. It’s a serious read with extreme Nazi violence depicted led by the vicious Hauptmann. Fascinating descriptions of secret aspects of the city underground tunnels dating centuries old used to travel from place to place out of sight of the enemy all add to the contest between Gestapo and Choir. Full of characters from the first episode this doesn’t disappoint.

I read this not realising it was a sequel, but was easily able to pick up the characters and story. . Obviously well researched, I found it unputdownable and was very engaged in the story of The Choir and the brutality of Hauptmann. A satisfying ending too..

Joseph O’Connor’s series based on the ‘Choir’ in the Vatican operating the ‘escape line’ for allied forces escaping the nazis is both fascinating in its evocation of Rome under the nazi occupation, and a hugely entertaining thriller. This second part focuses on the Contessa, and a particular tension with Hauptman, the nazi with responsibility for Rome. With a large group of supporting characters - both those in the choir, escapees and Hauptman - there is a real opportunity to become immersed in the challenges faced by escapees, the risks taken by many of the local population living under occupation, and the problem for the choir of keeping their hidden charges under control…
O’Connor creates a wonderful sense of place, and writes with both wit and tension. I understand this may be a trilogy which is hugely exciting - I’d assumed My Father’s House was a one off, so more are a real luxury.

I enjoyed this book even more than the previous one (My Father's House).
I am looking forward to the last of the trilogy.
The story is (just about) believable, the characters excellent, the storyline just the correct blend of light and darkness.
Having never been to Rome or the Vatican, I enjoy the description of the location, which transports the reader there in wartime.
My thanks to the author for the hours of enjoyment that the book has brought me, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a sequel to My Fathers House.
Whereas the first book concentrated on Father Hugh O'Flaherty, this time the focus is on Contessa Jo Landini, with two threads running through the book, that of her relationship with the Gestapo boss, Paul Hauptmann and the desire to save one particular allied prisoner. An excellent book which is worth reading. Recommended.

I would still give this novel four stars for its varying POVs and great ways of playing with form - transcripts/present tense/looking back etc. But, for me, it wasn't as good as My Father's House which I absolutely adored. I think the problem - for me - was that the huge ensemble cast meant that it takes a long time for the actual story to get going, and it was difficult to know who you were meant to be focusing on because although the plot eventually weaves together, it took more than half the book to get there.

Set in 1945, this continues the fictionalised account of the Rome Escape Line which began with My Father's House. The 'choir' are now living together within The Vatican City and embark on a dangerous mission to save a Polish airman. Gestapo boss Hauptman is closing in on them and it is increasingly difficult to operate. We mainly follow the character Giovanna Landini but again it is told from multiple POV, with a cast of distinctive voices. It's atmospheric, full of suspense, thrilling and incredibly moving. A fab sequel that would also work as a standalone.

A sequel to My Fathers House. Another really interesting and well written book illustrating the bravery and dedication of those who risked their lives to help allied solders escape from under the noses of the Nazi occupiers.