The Ghosts of Rome, Joseph OConnor
The Ghosts of Rome, Joseph OConnor
List: $34.99 | Sale: $24.50
Club: $17.49

The Ghosts of Rome
The Rome Escape Line Trilogy

Author: Joseph O'Connor

Narrator: Stephen Hogan, Barnaby Edwards, Aoife Duffin, David John, Gertrude Toma, Laurence Bouvard

Unabridged: 11 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/04/2025


Synopsis

In the final months of World War II, a clandestine group known as The Choir smuggles thousands of escapees out of Nazi-occupied Rome via a secret route known as the Rome Escape Line. When an unidentified airman falls from the sky, The Choir is plunged into lethal danger, and the survival of the Escape Line itself is threatened. The Choir is riven with internal tensions and infighting. The organization is in danger of falling apart, which would leave thousands of escaped allied soldiers, POWs, Jews, and objectors stranded in a Rome that is ruled with vicious efficiency by the Nazis. Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, the architect of the Escape Line and acknowledged leader of The Choir, broods inside the Vatican, seemingly paralyzed by what he sees as the intolerable risks of keeping the Escape Line in operation. One man has been given the task of definitively destroying the entire operation and the price of his failure is high—SS Commander Paul Hauptmann’s wife and children are under Gestapo supervision in Berlin. Hauptmann is ordered to stay on in the city he both loathes and loves and to dismantle the Escape Line, or watch his family perish. Into this deliriously thrilling melee steps the Contessa Giovanna Landini, a reckless, audacious, and magnetic member of the Italian Resistance who has the nerve to challenge Hauptmann’s authority. A beautifully written and expertly crafted historical suspense novel that is bursting with action, atmosphere, and unforgettable characters, The Ghosts of Rome is the thrilling follow-up to Joseph O’Connor’s best-selling My Father’s House.

About Joseph O'Connor

Joseph O'Connor is the author of nine novels, two collections of short stories, and a number of bestselling works of nonfiction. The recipient of France's Prix Millepages, Italy's Premio Acerbi, and numerous other awards, he has served as the Harman Visiting Professor of creative writing at Baruch College in New York. Born in Dublin, he currently serves as the Frank McCourt Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Limerick.

About Stephen Hogan

Stephen Hogan is an Irish-born actor and narrator who trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. After graduating, he went on to perform numerous leading roles across several stages including the Royal National Theatre in London.

About Barnaby Edwards

Barnaby Edwards is an experienced actor, writer, director, and audiobook narrator who has lent his talents to a multitude of projects.

About Aoife Duffin

Aoife Duffin is an audiobook narrator who trained at Trinity College Dublin. She is a regular on the Irish and London stage but is probably best known for her role as Trisha Moone in the Sky One series Moone Boy.

About David John

David John is an experienced actor and voice artist who has been working in the industry for over forty years. He trained at Arts Educational, and his theatre experience includes a season at the Royal Shakespeare Company. His film appearances include Chariots of Fire, Remembrance, and Shock Treatment, and his TV work includes being a lead character in the BBC series Big Jim and the Figaro Club. His voice work includes radio dramas, audiobooks, dubbing, ADR, ELT, voiceover, and computer games.

About Laurence Bouvard

Laurence Bouvard is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Harvard University who trained at LAMDA. She made her professional debut in the original cast of the West End musical Buddy and has since appeared in a variety of roles on stage as well as on film and television. An experienced voice artist, she has narrated more than fifty audiobooks and has recorded for radio, video games, ads, and cartoons.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Canadian Jen on April 07, 2025

I’ve been ‘blessed’ to read the sequel to His Father’s House. The ‘choir’ line is a clandestine group of brave men and women, who smuggled Jews and allies out of nazi occupied Rome. But now an unidentified airman has been wounded as he fell from the sky. Decisions need to be made: If he can be saved;......more

Goodreads review by Kate on December 31, 2024

+ several more stars The second part of the fictionalised account of a real life hero, Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty. I thought My Father's House was very good. I thought Ghosts of Rome excellent. I started the book a few weeks ago but until yesterday I'd not really given it proper attention. So yesterda......more

Goodreads review by Paula on March 16, 2025

Moving, brilliantly and lyrically written.Typical O´Connor,a worthy addition to a superb trilogy based on real events.......more

Goodreads review by Ann on March 03, 2025

3.5 This is the second novel in O’Connor’s Rome Escape Line Trilogy, and I enjoyed it as much as the first in the series, In My Father’s House. The work of The Choir continues. [[Background: The Choir is a group based in the Vatican (mostly secular individuals but led by a priest), that works tirele......more

Goodreads review by Nic on August 08, 2024

4* The Ghosts of Rome (Rome Escape Line #2) by Joseph Connor. The 2nd book in this superb trilogy with a fictional telling of those who, hunkered in the Vatican, supported allied soldiers and airmen to shelter and escape Rome in the latter years of WWII, as the allies made their way North. In the pre......more