The Icon

Olson, Neil

ISBN 10: 0060766883 ISBN 13: 9780060766887

Publisher: HarperAudio, 2005

Synopsis

When Matthew Spear, a young curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, meets the lovely Ana Kessler, an art dealer who has inherited an impressive group of pieces, he discovers a prize:the collection includes the Holy Mother of Katarini -- a sacred icon long thought destroyed. But while Matthew recognizes the Icon's value as a work of art, he also discovers that it may carry a far greater significance.

Soon Matthew discovers that he has a strange and more personal connection to the Icon -- one that thrusts him into a Byzantine web of death and deception. All involved believe the Icon to be a source of fantastic and inexplicable power, and all were somehow connected to the events that transpired during World War II. As he experiences the peculiar resonance of Icon, Matthew begins to see that the only way out of his entanglement is to discover what really happened in the past. Before he walks into the harrowing situation that will decide who lives and who dies, Matthew will be forced to re-examine virtually every aspect of his life -- the loyalties within his family, his feelings for Ana, and even the question of his own faith.

In a stunning debut that spans more than half a century and two continents, The Icon asks us to reach into the very heart of all our questions about faith, power, and love.

About this title

About the Author:

Neil Olson, the grandson of Greek immigrants, works in the publishing industry and lives in New York City with his wife.

From AudioFile:

Olson's debut novel begins slowly and then picks up the pace dramatically. Clearly written with THE DA VINCI CODE in mind, the story concerns Nazis and Greeks and an icon known as the Holy Mother of Katarini, which allegedly contains pieces of the blood-stained robe of Jesus. Eric Conger's reading parallels the story. At first, the listener wonders at his vocal lassitude, but he comes alive as the plot intensifies. While the conclusion is predictable, the story is entertaining, and Conger's reading, particularly during the climax, makes for a satisfying, albeit uneven, novel. D.J.S. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0060766883
• ISBN 13: 9780060766887
• Binding: Audio CD