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.

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