My Father's House

An enthralling read. Occupied Rome is vividly rendered and the characters are well drawn and distinct. The dual timeline structure feeds cleverly into the narrative, giving us access to information that the 1943 characters don't yet know, and this helps O'Connor to conjure a great deal of tension, culminating in a pulse pounding night time journey through the city. The final revelation that it is based on a true story is the cherry on the cake.