A literary sequel worth its salt should satisfy two types of readers: those who read the first installment and those who didn’t. Joseph O’Connor’s new novel is one such book.
The Dublin-born writer has fashioned it so that it functions as both a standalone work and a follow-up to its predecessor. “My Father’s House” was about a clandestine group that smuggled Allied soldiers and Jews out of Nazi-occupied Rome. “The Ghosts of Rome” picks up the story and tells how the ragtag band of heroes continues to risk all as the Nazi net closes in.