Customer Reviews

The Icon: A Novel

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Literary agent Neil Olson deftly moves to the other side of the desk with his debut novel "The Icon", a story of obsession, faith, and art that took hold of men in their youth and threatens to invade their families a lifetime later. A Byzantine Icon, The Holy Mother of Katamari, hidden in the Greek village of Epirios, was thought lost to the flames when the retreating German Army burned the village behind them in 1944. But the Icon was smuggled out under circumstances not clearly understood even to those who participated. It eventually became the most prized possession of an enigmatic New York collector named Kessler. When Kessler dies, his granddaughter Ana is left to dispose of his estate, placing the Icon back onto the market, within the reach of men who coveted it since it touched their lives in Greece so long ago. Fotis Dragoumis and Andreas Spyridis are old men now, inextricably linked since their fighting days in Greece, locked in combat by the Icon that they stole. Fotis asks his godson, Andreas' grandson Matthew, who is a specialist in Byzantine art, to advise Ana Kessler of her options in selling the Icon. Matthew quickly finds himself caught between two manipulative men fighting over something long past and his attraction for Ana. And the game for possession of the Holy Mother begins.

"The Icon" takes place primarily in modern New York City, but periodically returns to Greece of 1944, so that the events of the past are revealed as those of the present unfold. The novel takes a long time to divulge its secrets, but it keeps the reader curious. To a large extent, we experience the story as Matthew does. He is an ordinary man who inhabits our world, tries to resist the passions and politics of the past, and learns how his own history is intertwined with the Icon as he goes along. Although we are in a sense Matthew, the reader will likely prefer the sordid past and haunted lives of the old men to a future free from obsession. "The Icon" features the most vital bunch of octogenarians I have ever heard of. The Icon's pursuers are mostly in their late 80s, physically frail, but possessed of the emotional energy and intensity of young men. I don't know how realistic that is, but characters who have both shadowy pasts and single-minded ambitions make for intriguing fiction. These men, driven by lifelong obsession, become increasingly focused as they accelerate toward death.

"The Icon" weaves a seductive tale across several generations and continents, but its themes are as ambiguous as the Icon's power. That might not be a bad thing. The novel successfully conveys the spiritual effect of the Icon on those who seek to possess it, making its lure almost comprehensible. It is interesting that the Icon is not coveted for its beauty or craftsmanship, but for the power of absolution that some people see in it. The characters are not religious in the conventional sense, but they have an all-consuming faith. Faith in what is not clear. Faith in the Icon. Or perhaps in Art. Art that reflects the souls of its audience back at them, but the reflection is transformed, for better or worse, into the facet of their character that their actions have always deceived. Not surprisingly, some want to possess this power, and some want to destroy it. "The Icon" is a strong debut from author Neil Olson. It's literate, engaging, and, thankfully, mostly devoid of the mundane emotional quandaries that too often substitute for story. Fans of thrillers will enjoy "The Icon", and admirers of Byzantine art may find it interesting as well.

I am interested in Byzantine history, which is how I accidentally stumbled upon this novel in Amazon (the book nevertheless does not have much to do with Byzantine history per se). I had heard some buzz about this, too, which is why I decided to buy it. IT IS EXCELLENT! I read it in two sittings and it is evocative of the kind of smart, well-written thrillers that come along too infrequently -- a bit more like LeCarre than a lot of the two-dimensional pulp that seems popular today. I found the cultural references intriguing and was interested in how well Olson juxtaposed thoughtful writing about World War II Greece 60 years ago with action in New York today. I am sending copies to a couple friends as presents.

Neil Olson's debut thriller, "The Icon," is another offshoot of the "Da Vinci Code" mania that has swept the world. An ancient and beautiful Greek icon, the Holy Mother of Katirini, is believed by some to have mystical healing powers. This object drives men to steal, lie, betray their friends, and even murder one another to possess it. The action shifts back and forth from Epiros, Greece, during World War II to New York City in the year 2000.

Matthew Spear, whose name is derived from the Greek Spyridis, is an assistant curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His grandfather, Andreas Spyridis and his godfather, Fotis Dragoumis, both fought in Epiros against the Germans and, for some reason, there is bad blood between these two former comrades. Andreas and Fotis have never told Matthew the whole truth about their sordid and shameful actions during the war.

Their lives are changed forever when the icon of the Holy Mother goes on the market after the death of its owner, an old man named Kessler. His lovely granddaughter, Ana Kessler, consults Matthew, wondering whether she should sell the icon to the Greek Church or to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Alas, her plans go awry when various individuals resort to subterfuge and violence to get their hands on the icon.

Olson does a workmanlike job of setting up the historical context of his story. The author provides interesting background information concerning the murky political situation in Greece during the German occupation. Communists, republicans, royalists, German collaborators, and black marketeers, among others, struggled to survive during those terrible times. Matthew's grandfather was among those who fought valiantly to protect their homeland, their families, and their way of life from the invaders.

When he shifts to the present day, however, Olson falters. He would have us believe that men in their late eighties and even their nineties, including a former Nazi, would have the strength and the desire to hatch and execute elaborate schemes in order to acquire the icon, no matter who gets hurt in the process. Matthew is dragged into the whole mess against his will. He is an intelligent and good-hearted character who falls under the spell of both the icon and Ana Kessler. By the time all of the smoke clears, and after much blood is shed, Olson wraps things up predictably. We learn once again that no work of art, however beautiful and meaningful, is worth the price of people's lives.

Although long on the literary scene in capacities other than as a writer, this is Neil Olson's first novel and it's a winner. A bit quirky, totally capturing, and intelligent, it connects an event that occurred during world War II to the present New York art scene.

Now, an intelligent, intriguing tale calls for the same qualities in a reader, and that's exactly what listeners will find in this smart, well paced voice performance by Eric Conger. He injects the appropriate suspense into the war scenes and adroitly switches tempo when the setting shifts to New York today.

Some 60 years ago in a small Greek village, Katarini, a bargain is made. It seems that weapons were traded for the icon of the title, a painted panel called the Holy Mother of Katarini which is believed to have supernatural powers. Segue to present day New York where the icon now hangs on the wall of a collector, a banker named Kessler.

When the elder Kessler dies his art works are inherited by his attractive granddaughter, Ana Kessler. She, too, has an avid interest in art. Thus, it's no surprise that she should cross paths with a young curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Matthew Spear. He is both surprised and delighted to find the icon in her collection.

While the Met would, of course, be interested in acquiring the piece, there are others who share that interest - among them the church, A Greek hoodlum, and a few nefarious characters. Matthew soon finds himself embroiled in a dangerous situation while his growing feelings for Ana may or may not cloud his judgment. Rather than finding the answers he seeks, for a while it seems that he's only discovering more questions.

Listen as this inventive story unfolds.

- Gail Cooke

It's World War Two, and the Greek resistance in a small village is both fighting the Germans and trying to make deals with them for help against the communists. An ancient Byzantine icon is at the heart of the struggle - one that might have healing powers. The icon ends up in a private collection in New York decades later. When the owner dies, his granddaughter Ana turns to a young curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for help with the collection. Matthew and Ana are soon caught up in a tangle of intrigue as various factions vie for control of the icon.

For a thriller, this is very languidly paced. However, it's a good story, and the characters are interesting. The past-time action is a little harder to follow than the present-time. I think this is mostly due to the way Olson builds tension by keeping a shroud of mystery over the present identities of the past characters for as long as possible. The historical details are well crafted and the action moves smoothly between the time periods. This is a promising first novel for Olson, and an enjoyable, if not breathtaking, read.

I found this slow to get through. Many of the characters are known by more than one name, which was confusing, and I didn't feel I got to really know any of the characters well. Moreover, there were points I wasn't certain I cared. There were opportunities for the story to really draw the reader in, but they just weren't realized. Finally, you learned the true importance of the icon in the last quarter of the story but it was a long time getting there. The book is good but, for me, it's not a page turner and it could have been so much better

THE ICON is the type of intricate thriller that a reader has a hard time putting down, at least before the book has been completely read.

The pages in this tale just fly and so, too, does the time spent with one's nose buried in this volume.

Author Neil Olson has crafted an intricate story that juxtaposes the Greek countryside during the Nazi occupation and modern New York City. At the center of the plot is a Christian icon which was housed, for centuries, in the church of a tiny village that is overrun by the Germans during World War II.

There are mysteries raised at the beginning of this novel that must be revealed for the ending to make sense. Who were the Greek partisans, and who among them survived the Nazis? Did the icon survive, too--or was it destroyed, or stolen? And, if the latter, who ended up owning the icon? Did the Nazis plunder it? Finally,did the icon ever have the power to actually heal the sick?

All of these mysteries are set in a fast-paced, gripping story that will please fans of the genre of thrillers. Olsen's career as an author is off to an impressive start.

This novel has a little bit of everything - World War 2 era partisans, former Nazi soldiers, plundered religious artwork, spiritual mysticism, religion, love ... and more. The plot has more twists than a Chubby Checker concert.

Matthew Spear is the resident expert on Byzantine religious artwork at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He's called on by the museum to evaluate the authenticity of a new icon that has come onto the market - owned by the lovely (and single!) Ana Kessler.

The icon is supposedly the Holy Mother of Katarini - an icon lost in the turmoil of World War 2 Greece. An icon that is allegedly imbued with supernatural healing powers.

Matthew is skeptical, but when he sees the icon himself, this changes. Then he learns his own family's connections with the icon - and it's theft from Greece. It is those connections that launch Spear into a web of international intrigue and danger, involving foreign governments, Nazi fugitives, and the Greek Orthodox church.

This is a tough book to put down. The action is nonstop, and the suspense is incredibly well done. You will need a scorecard for the characters in this book, to try to track their relations with each other. But don't even try to figure out who is on whose side, or what is exactly going on, because just when you think you have, Olson will pull the rug out from under you. Things are never as they seem, and you won't know the full story until the very end.

Several things endeared this book to me. One - the parallels to Grail legend. This story is almost a Grail story gone bad - think of a Grail story in which Lancelot is working for the Church, Gawain is working for Arthur, and the Black Knight thinks he's working for himself, but is really working for Merlin. And each of these men are fighting each other. Then the Black Knight betrays Merlin, but Merlin .......

That would be telling. Read the book.

The story is intriguing and I like the split time line, but it moves very slowly at times and sort of seems to bounce around a little too much. Definitely not a Dan Brown equal, but okay for the genre.

Neil Olson's "The Icon" is a drama spanning almost sixty years of a mystical Greek icon stolen during the later stages of World War 2.

The icon known as the Holy Mother of Katarini was purported to contain within it's cypress panels pieces of the bloodsoaked robe of Jesus. The Holy Mother allegedly was the source of unexplained supernatural powers such as the healing of the sick. Unfortunately the icon's long and ancient history also included a trail of tragedy and death surrounding those that had tried to possess it over the years.

The story commences in 1944 Greece. The country had been occupied by the Nazis. Local poorly equipped partisans were roaming the countryside fighting both the Germans and an influx of Communists threatening to assume control of the country. Two such patriotic men were Andreas Spyridis and Fotis Dragoumis respectively code named "Captain Elias" and "The Snake". Nazis were burning Greek villages and terrorizing the populace. The men received word that the church housing the precious icon would be incinerated. They made a deal with the commanding Nazi officer Muller, an art aficionado that they would rescue the icon and trade it for guns and ammunition to fight the Communists. The deal went horribly wrong and the whereabouts of the Holy Mother became unknown.

Moving forward to the year 2000, we learn that the icon is somehow in the private collection of a rich and aged banker named Kessler. Kessler, who reveres the Holy Mother has built a special chapel for it within his palatial New York brownstone. Kessler passes away and his estate is left to his granddaughter Ana. Ana desires to sell the icon to help allay the expenses of settling her grandfather's estate. Spyridis and Dragoumis both old men now learn of the existence of the Holy Mother and are drawn to it by it's bewitching powers.

Dragoumis now a wealthy New York entrepreneur arranges for his godson Matthew Spear, the grandson of Andreas Spyridis to examine the icon and advise Ana Kessler, in a plot to procure it himself. Matthew, an unwitting accomplice, is an assistant curator in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, specializing in Byzantine art. Andreas, a retired covert Greek operative, aware of the trail of death surrounding the icon flies in from Athens to protect both his grandson and the Holy Mother.

Ana has confidence in Matthew and they eventually become involved. Little do they know but a wealthy and shady art dealer from South America named Del Carros also has his eye on obtaining the icon. Assisted by a deadly Dutch bodyguard he plans to use either money or force to acquire this desirable prize.

Olson creates an absorbing drama which both chronicles the present day hunt for the icon and little by little reveals its historical significance. The plot bounces back and forth from past to present as we gain knowledge as to the motivations and backgrounds of the main players in the story.