Matthew Spear, a young Greek-American curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, meets the lovely Ana Kessler, a sometime art dealer who has inherited an impressive collection from her mysterious grandfather. Matthew soon discovers that the jewel of the old man's cache is none other than the Holy Mother of Katarini - a sacred icon long thought destroyed in a fire. But while Matthew recognizes the icon's value as a work of art - and a star in his crown if he can add it to the museum's collection - he soon discovers that it carries a far greater significance to numerous people, including his own grandfather and godfather. What Matthew does not realize is that his own connection to the icon will thrust him into a byzantine web of death and deception, as other parties - including a representative of the Greek Orthodox Church, a Russian "entrepreneur," a dying gangster, and a Nazi who has escaped the wartime tribunals for nearly six decades - pursue it for their own means. All believe the icon to be a source of fantastic and inexplicable power, and all were somehow connected to the events that transpired in a small Greek village during World War II. As he experiences the peculiar resonance of the icon, and sees the hold it has on others, Matthew begins to understand that the only way out of his entanglement is to discover what really happened in that Greek village sixty years earlier. And he will soon be forced into a harrowing situation where he must decide who lives and who dies, and will have to reexamine virtually every aspect of his life - the loyalties within his family, his feelings for Ana, and even the question of his own faith. Is the icon chiefly a relic of historic and artistic significance? Or is it something more still - a vessel imbued with the spirit and power of Christ himself?

The Icon: A Novel

Literature & Fiction

Olson, Neil

United States

Harpercollins

The Icon

Sixty years after Nazi resistance captain Elias and his team of guerrillas witness the destruction of a Greek church that housed a religious icon, the icon resurfaces on the New York art market, sparking a violent rivalry among potential buyers who harbor very personal agendas. A first novel. Reprint.

HarperTorch

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.

HarperAudio

Sixty years after Nazi resistance captain Elias and his team of guerrillas witness the destruction of a Greek church that housed a religious icon, the icon resurfaces on the New York art market, sparking a violent rivalry among potential buyers who harbor very personal agendas. A first novel. Reprint.

Contemporary

Chivers Sound Library

Before the Devil Fell Lib/E

Literary

Hanover Square Press

"A riveting psychological thriller, a serious dissection of a dysfunctional family and an exploration of the power of art to change lives." --Associated Press "A fast-paced psychological thriller with a fascinating set of characters. ... A real page-turner." -B.A. Shapiro, author of The Art Forger An atmospheric literary mystery about an infamous painting rumored to be cursed--and the family torn apart by its disappearance. There are four cousins in the Morse family: perfect Kenny, the preppy West Coast lawyer; James, the shy but brilliant medical student; his seductive, hard-drinking sister Audrey; and Teresa, youngest and most fragile, haunted by the fear that she has inherited the madness that possessed her father. Their grandfather summons them to his mansion at Owl's Point. None of them have visited the family estate since they were children, when a prized painting disappeared: a self-portrait by Goya, rumored to cause madness or death upon viewing. Afterward, the family split apart amid the accusations and suspicions that followed its theft. Any hope that their grandfather planned to make amends evaporates when Teresa arrives to find the old man dead, his horrified gaze pinned upon the spot where the painting once hung. As the family gathers and suspicions mount, Teresa hopes to find the reasons behind her grandfather's death and the painting's loss. But to do so she must uncover ugly family secrets and confront those who would keep them hidden. A masterful, deftly plotted novel, The Black Painting explores the profound power that art, and the past, hold over our lives.

The Black Painting

“Equal parts engaging and creepy, this twisty tale deftly examines how secrets and regret can continue to reverberate through generations. A suspenseful story that examines how families haunt each other in life and death; possibly too creepy for late-night reading.” —Kirkus Reviews\nWill Connor returns to his hometown, a village north of Boston, to care for his injured mother. He’s kept his distance from the town since high school, but once home he finds himself reexamining a horrific incident that took place during one of his mother’s “spirit circles.” His mother had embraced the hippie generation’s fascination with New Age and the arcane, but the unexpected death of a close friend put an end to the meetings of the modern-day coven.\nOr did it?\nAs Will looks deeper into his family’s history he discovers that her practices weren’t so much a passing fad but the latest link in a long tradition of New England witchcraft, which still seems to hold a strange power over the town. Will hopes that unearthing the facts about the death will put his questions to rest, but there are those willing to resort to violence to keep those secrets buried.

Before the Devil Fell: A Novel

A Strand Magazine Best Book of the Year “A riveting psychological thriller, a serious dissection of a dysfunctional family and an exploration of the power of art to change lives.” —Associated Press “A fast-paced psychological thriller with a fascinating set of characters.... A real page-turner.” —B.A. Shapiro, author of The Art Forger An atmospheric literary mystery about an infamous painting rumored to be cursed—and the family torn apart by its disappearance. When Teresa’s grandfather summons her and her three cousins to his mansion at Owl’s Point, the invitation comes as a surprise. None of them have seen the old man since they were children, when a priceless Goya painting was stolen from the estate, a theft that split the family apart in a cloud of accusations and suspicion. But when Teresa arrives, she finds the old man dead, his gaze fixed on the wall where the painting once hung. As her family gathers to mourn, Teresa seeks an explanation for her grandfather’s death and the painting’s disappearance. But to do so she must uncover her family’s secrets and face those who would keep them hidden. A masterful, deftly plotted novel, The Black Painting explores the profound power that art and the past hold over our lives

The Black Painting: A Novel

Arts & Photography

History & Criticism

“Equal parts engaging and creepy, this twisty tale deftly examines how secrets and regret can continue to reverberate through generations. A suspenseful story that examines how families haunt each other in life and death; possibly too creepy for late-night reading.” —Kirkus Reviews Will Connor returns to his hometown, a village north of Boston, to care for his injured mother. He’s kept his distance from the town since high school, but once home he finds himself reexamining a horrific incident that took place during one of his mother’s “spirit circles.” His mother had embraced the hippie generation’s fascination with New Age and the arcane, but the unexpected death of a close friend put an end to the meetings of the modern-day coven. Or did it? As Will looks deeper into his family’s history he discovers that her practices weren’t so much a passing fad but the latest link in a long tradition of New England witchcraft, which still seems to hold a strange power over the town. Will hopes that unearthing the facts about the death will put his questions to rest, but there are those willing to resort to violence to keep those secrets buried.

2-in-1 Gift Pack (NOT FOR INDIVIDUAL SALE) - Best Day Ever and The Black Painting

Rouda, Kaira

Genre Fiction

HTP Gift Sets

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Olson, Neil. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Olson, Neil

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Olson, Neil. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Icon: A Novel

The Icon

The Icon

The Icon

Before the Devil Fell Lib/E

The Black Painting

Before the Devil Fell: A Novel

The Black Painting: A Novel

Before the Devil Fell: A Novel

2-in-1 Gift Pack (NOT FOR INDIVIDUAL SALE) - Best Day Ever and The Black Painting