Rome Escape Line – serie

**THE NUMBER ONE IRISH BESTSELLER**When the Nazis take Rome, thousands go into hiding. One priest will risk everything to save them.September 1943: German forces occupy Rome. SS officer Paul Hauptmann rules with terror.An Irish priest, Hugh O'Flaherty, dedicates himself to helping those escaping from the Nazis. His home is Vatican City, a neutral, independent country within Rome where the occupiers hold no sway. He gathers a team to set up an Escape Line.But Hauptmann's net begins closing in and the need for a terrifyingly audacious mission grows critical. By Christmas, it's too late to turn back.Based on a true story, My Father's House is a powerful thriller from a master of historical fiction. It is an unforgettable novel of love, sacrifice and what it means to be human in the most extreme circumstances.'A spectacular, thrilling novel' Sunday Times'So urgent, so incredibly alive... A searing and beautiful example of storytelling's infinite importance' Donal Ryan'Impressive and pleasurable...evokes a city in peril with wonderful vitality' Financial TimesLONGLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD 2024SHORTLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR FICTION 2024*The second book in the Rome Escape Line Trilogy, THE GHOSTS OF ROME, is available now.*

**WINNER OF IRISH BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 ** THE NUMBER ONE IRISH BESTSELLER**'As thrilling, beautiful and sensational a novel as you'll read this year or any year' Sunday TimesFebruary 1944. Six months since Nazi forces occupied Rome.Inside the war-torn city, the Contessa Giovanna Landini works for the band of Escape Line activists known as ‘the Choir’. Her mission is to smuggle Allied soldiers to safety, all under the nose of Gestapo boss Paul Hauptmann.During a ferocious morning air raid a mysterious parachutist lands in Rome and disappears into the backstreets. Is he an ally or an imposter? His fate will come to put the whole Escape Line at risk.Meanwhile, Hauptmann’s attention has landed on the Contessa. As his fascination grows, she is pulled into a dangerous game with him – one where the consequences could be lethal.‘A superb testament to humankind’s bravery and resilience...moving and immersive’ Guardian, Books of the Year‘Tremendous and terrifying’ Fintan O'Toole, Irish Times Books of the Year‘A stellar piece of storytelling’ Daily Mail'Not just a wartime thriller, but a meditation on how we remember, how we resist and how, even in the darkest times, humanity endures' New York Times

**WINNER OF IRISH BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 ** THE NUMBER ONE IRISH BESTSELLER**'As thrilling, beautiful and sensational a novel as you'll read this year or any year' Sunday TimesFebruary 1944. Six months since Nazi forces occupied Rome.Inside the war-torn city, the Contessa Giovanna Landini works for the band of Escape Line activists known as ‘the Choir’. Her mission is to smuggle Allied soldiers to safety, all under the nose of Gestapo boss Paul Hauptmann.During a ferocious morning air raid a mysterious parachutist lands in Rome and disappears into the backstreets. Is he an ally or an imposter? His fate will come to put the whole Escape Line at risk.Meanwhile, Hauptmann’s attention has landed on the Contessa. As his fascination grows, she is pulled into a dangerous game with him – one where the consequences could be lethal.‘A superb testament to humankind’s bravery and resilience...moving and immersive’ Guardian, Books of the Year‘Tremendous and terrifying’ Fintan O'Toole, Irish Times Books of the Year‘A stellar piece of storytelling’ Daily Mail'Not just a wartime thriller, but a meditation on how we remember, how we resist and how, even in the darkest times, humanity endures' New York Times

WINNER OF IRISH BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025'As thrilling, beautiful and sensational a novel as you'll read this year or any year' Sunday TimesFebruary 1944. Six months since Nazi forces occupied Rome.Inside the war-torn city, the Contessa Giovanna Landini works for the band of Escape Line activists known as ‘the Choir’. Her mission is to smuggle Allied soldiers to safety, all under the nose of Gestapo boss Paul Hauptmann.During a ferocious morning air raid a mysterious parachutist lands in Rome and disappears into the backstreets. Is he an ally or an imposter? His fate will come to put the whole Escape Line at risk.Meanwhile, Hauptmann’s attention has landed on the Contessa. As his fascination grows, she is pulled into a dangerous game with him – one where the consequences could be lethal.‘A superb testament to humankind’s bravery and resilience...moving and immersive’ Guardian, Books of the Year‘Tremendous and terrifying’ Fintan O'Toole, Irish Times Books of the Year‘A stellar piece of storytelling’ Daily Mail'Not just a wartime thriller, but a meditation on how we remember, how we resist and how, even in the darkest times, humanity endures' New York Times

A dangerous mission is underway in Occupied Rome, right under the noses of the Gestapo. The acclaimed wartime thriller from the award-winning and internationally bestselling author of My Father's House.May 1944. Rome is still ruled by the Gestapo, but the Allies are closing in.As tensions rise, John May’s work smuggling escaped prisoners of war to safety through the Vatican Escape Line grows ever more treacherous.When a hijacked strongbox of Nazi money is discovered, May’s Escape Line comrades hope to use it to help their cause. But the money has been stolen by an infamous Roman criminal: a man whispered about for his legendary ruthlessness.May’s mission to recover the looted cash will take him to dangerous extremes. As rumours infect the beleaguered city, Gestapo boss Paul Hauptmann’s behaviour becomes increasingly desperate. Soon the pair are set on a deadly collision course which will test May’s courage to its limit.PRAISE FOR JOSEPH O’CONNOR'As thrilling, beautiful and sensational a novel as you'll read this year or any year' Sunday Times'Combines the pleasures of the ideal holiday read with those of a literary masterpiece' Fintan O'Toole, Irish Times‘A superb testament to humankind’s bravery and resilience . . . moving and immersive’ Guardian, Books of the Year