Review of THE ICON by Neil Olson

HarperCollins, May 2005

Review by Jennifer Vilches (see her Blog)

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.

Three Stars

Reviewed 2/06/06

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