'The Ghosts of Rome' named An Post Irish Book of the Year

Irish novelist and screenwriter Joseph O'Connor’s 'The Ghosts of Rome’ has been named the An Post Irish Book of the Year.

The book, described by the judges as a "thrilling piece of historical fiction" was announced as this year’s winner during a television special last night on RTÉ One.

The book was among six titles competing for the prize, all of which were category winners in their own right at the recent An Post Irish Book Awards.

The book, a historical thriller set in Nazi-occupied Rome, beat out five other titles, among them the late Manchán Magan’s ‘Ninety-Nine Words for Rain (and One for Sun)’; Roisín O’Donnell’s ‘Nesting’; ‘Solo’ by Gráinne O’Brien; rugby player Andrew Porter’s ‘Heart on My Sleeve’; and Sarah Corbett Lynch’s ‘A Time for Truth: My Father Jason and My Search for Justice and Healing’.

It is the second work in Mr O’Connor’s Escape Line Trilogy.

The first novel, ‘My Father’s House’, was also a number one bestseller and has now sold more than 150,000 copies in English.

He is currently working on the next novel in the trilogy, which is expected to be published in early 2027.

Chair of the Judging Panel Paul Howard said choosing a winner was "the toughest of tough tasks".

"We were given six books to read, each of them outstanding in their own class. As one of the judges said, 'It's like comparing the best film you ever saw with the best piece of music you ever heard.' It was very difficult, which is why it took us almost four hours to come up with a winner," he said.

"There were at least two strong advocates for every book on the list, and I think every single one of the six was at some point in prime position. Most of us changed our minds several times in the room.

"In the end, we chose a book that we were all happy to call the Irish Book of the Year. It's a beautiful piece of writing as well as a thrilling piece of historical fiction.

"In dealing with the theme of good people standing up to the evils of Fascism, it has strong resonance for the times in which we are living."