THANKS to Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" and the Hollywood movie based on it, the genres of historical thriller and religious thriller are receiving big attention worldwide.
Many bookstores in America and Europe have special shelves or showcase areas for these books. A friend who recently returned from America brought me back "The Icon" by American author Neil Olson.
The cover has a striking image - the face of the Virgin Mary on a gold background. "The Icon" is about a wooden painting of Mary, mother of Jesus. An "icon" is painting depicting saints or other religious figures.
In modern day New York, a rich Greek businessman dies and leaves behind a wooden icon of the Virgin Mary.
The old man's heiress, art dealer Ana Kessler, has always hated her grandfather's obsession with the relic and wants to get rid of it. The relic is rumoured to have supernatural powers.
She hires young historian Matthew to study the work and advise her on what to do with it. Matthew, too, feels a fatal attraction to the wooden painting. But they don't know this ancient piece of religious art has a dark history that will change their lives forever.
Matthew's grandfather and godfather were both from the Greek village where the icon was stolen at the end of World War II. Together they fought against the
rate ways because of the icon. Now they have become enemies again: The godfather wants the icon for himself while the grandfather is trying to protect Matthew. At the same time, the former Nazi German officer, who killed many Greek
A 19th century Greek icon depicting the

villagers and stolen the icon, reappears in New York. He'll try anything to get the painting back.
Compared with "The Da Vinci Code", the religious factor in "The Icon" is weak. There is no amazing new theory or ground-shaking heresy to base the story on. The mystery and suspense in the novel is more about human nature and emotions than about religion.
Readers may find the characters' obsession, greed and betrayal over the religious icon either natural or morbid. But it's undeniable that the human factors make the book exciting and readable.
The author has a convincing touch in depicting the characters' complex feelings. Matthew's godfather Fotis is a central character: as a young man he betrayed his fellow countrymen because of his desire for the icon; as a dying old man, he betrays his trusting godson for the same reason.
The ending of the book is somewhat of a disappointment: after all the tension build-up in the second half of the book, readers have reason to expect something more creative. Other than that, "The Icon" is an enjoyable read and a good religious thriller, different from the research-intensive, conspiracy-filled "The Da Vinci Code".
conspiracy: 阴谋 genre: 类型 heiress: 女继承人 heresy: 异端邪说 manipulation: 操纵 morbid: 病态的 obsession: 着迷 relic: 遗物