Author: Joseph O'ConnorModern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) | Thriller / suspense | Second World War fiction | Historical fictionPublished on 29th January 2026 by Vintage Publishing (Vintage) in the United Kingdom as part of the 'Rome Escape Line' series.Paperback / softback | 384 pages 197mm x 128mm | 276g 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
