February 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

February 1944. Six months since Nazi forces occupied Rome.

Inside the beleaguered city, the Contessa Giovanna Landini is a member of the band of Escape Line activists known as ‘The Choir’. Their mission is to smuggle refugees to safety and help Allied soldiers, 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.

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...suspense crackles…celebrates triumphant against-the-odds camaraderie’ Sunday Times

‘A masterwork… so urgent, so incredibly alive… A searing and beautiful example of storytelling’s infinite importance’ Donal Ryan

‘Impressive and pleasurable…the diverse ventriloquism of O’Connor’s novel evokes a city in peril with wonderful vitality’ Financial Times

LONGLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD 2024

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR FICTION 2024

*The second book in the Rome Escape Line Trilogy, THE GHOSTS OF ROME, is available to pre-order now.*

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...suspense crackles…celebrates triumphant against-the-odds camaraderie’ Sunday Times

‘Combines the pleasures of the ideal holiday read with those of a literary masterpiece.’ Fintan O’Toole, Irish Times

‘A masterwork… so urgent, so incredibly alive… A searing and beautiful example of storytelling’s infinite importance’ Donal Ryan

‘Impressive and pleasurable…the diverse ventriloquism of O’Connor’s novel evokes a city in peril with wonderful vitality’ Financial Times

‘The best novel that I’ve read in the last twenty years… It’s fantastic’ RICHARD MADELEY

‘Breathtaking… A hugely entertaining book about the grand scope of friendship and love’ Sadie Jones, Guardian
__________

London, 1878. Three extraordinary people begin their life together – and the idea for Dracula is born.

Fresh from life in Dublin, Bram Stoker – now manager of the Lyceum Theatre – is wrestling with dark demons in a new city, in a new marriage, and with his own literary aspirations. As he walks the streets at night, streets haunted by the Ripper and the gossip which swirls around his friend Oscar Wilde, he finds new inspiration. Soon, the eerie tale of Dracula begins to emerge.

But Henry Irving, volcanic leading man and impresario, is determined that nothing will get in the way of Bram’s dedication to the Lyceum. And both men are growing ever more enchanted by the beauty and boldness of Ellen Terry, the most celebrated actress of her generation.
__________

Shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award 2019
Winner of the Irish Book Awards Novel of the Year

‘A colourful tale of secret love and public performance…in a romantic, lost London‘ The Times

‘Hugely entertaining and atmospheric‘ DEBORAH MOGGACH

‘Extraordinary‘ SEBASTIAN BARRY

‘A novel I’d recommend to anyone: a rollicking and moving story’ James Naughtie, Radio Times

‘Fabulous… A truly great book you simply cannot put down‘ JUDY FINNIGAN

‘Rich, sad, funny, and a beautiful read. You’ll LOVE it‘ RICHARD MADELEY

‘Ingenious…hugely impressive and utterly haunting’ Sunday Mirror

*JOSEPH O’CONNOR’S STUNNING NEW NOVEL, MY FATHER’S HOUSE, IS AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW*

Discover the powerful sequel to international bestseller Star of the Sea

1865. The American Civil War is ending, but for Eliza Duane Mooney her journey across a devastated America has only just begun.

Eliza is searching for her younger brother she has not seen in four years, one of the hundred thousand children drawn into the war. His fate has been mysterious and will prove extraordinary.

It’s a walk that will have consequences for many seemingly unconnected survivors: a love-struck cartographer, a haunted Latina poetess, rebel guerrilla Cole McLaurenson, runaway slave Elizabeth Longstreet and the mercurial revolutionary James Con O’Keeffe, who commanded a brigade of Irish immigrants in the Union Army and is now Governor of a western wilderness where nothing is as it seems.

In the bitter winter of 1847, from an Ireland torn by injustice and natural disaster, the Star of the Sea sets sail for New York.

On board are hundreds of fleeing refugees. Among them are a maidservant with a devastating secret, bankrupt Lord Merridith and his family, an aspiring novelist and a maker of revolutionary ballads, all braving the Atlantic in search of a new home. Each is connected more deeply than they can possibly know.

But a camouflaged killer is stalking the decks, hungry for the vengeance that will bring absolution.

‘A triumph…A spectacular breakthrough’ Sunday Times

‘Ireland’s most brilliant storyteller’ Independent on Sunday

JOSEPH O’CONNOR’S STUNNING NEW NOVEL, MY FATHER’S HOUSE, IS AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW

‘A virtuoso display of literary talent…brimming with sympathy and skill’ Irish Times

Dublin, 1907. A young actress begins an affair with a damaged older man, the leading playwright at the theatre where she works.

Outspoken and flirtatious, Molly Allgood is a Catholic girl from the slums of Dublin, dreaming of stardom in America. Her lover, John Synge, is a troubled genius, whose life is hampered by convention and by the austere and God-fearing mother with whom he lives. Their affair, sternly opposed by friends and family, is quarrelsome, affectionate and tender.

Many years later, Molly, now a poverty-stricken old woman, makes her way through London’s bomb-scarred city streets, alone but for a snowdrift of memories. Her once dazzling career has faded but her unquenchable passion for life has kept her afloat.

‘Masterful in its management of re-imagined lives and the time they inhabit’ Financial Times