Relics + a secret society = adventure
The Mosaic Key
by Archer Campbell
Victoria: Tellwell Talent, 2026
$17.99 / 9781834381039
Reviewed by Zoe McKenna
*
Archer Campbell’s The Mosaic Key is a love letter to the mystery genre, albeit an abbreviated one. Based in Ladner, Campbell is a lifelong reader of suspense and historical mysteries. The Mosaic Key is his debut novel and the first in the soon-to-be Cole & Vialli Adventure series.
The Mosaic Key opens in a dimly-lit museum where Ethan Cole, a museum researcher, roams the halls after hours. Ethan approaches a Byzantine-era mosaic, or at least, part of one. Though the piece might be unremarkable to some, Ethan knows its tiles hold a critical secret. Moments later, the quiet museum erupts into chaos as an explosion sets the sprinklers into action and shatters the mosaic into pieces. Ethan is thrown to the floor and loses consciousness, but not before grabbing a shard of the mosaic printed with a symbol that unlocks the first step of an international mystery.
As the story continues, Ethan and Clara, an art historian, travel from Vancouver to Italy, Egypt, Croatia, and more. Together, the duo works to decode the mosaic and unveil the workings of a secret society, all while its agents try desperately to stop them.
The Mosaic Key clearly comes from a place of affection for the mystery genre and its fans. Building on the style of novels like The Da Vinci Code, Campbell weaves an international heist-style mystery featuring art history and underground societies. What’s not to love? The story asks readers to second-guess the locations they frequent and look closer to find the hidden meaning in the places, people, and relics they encounter along the way.
As someone who grew up reading Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys, Campbell’s affection for mystery fiction charmed me—it’s fun to read a novel where the author’s passions are clear on the page.
Sadly, I found The Mosaic Key to be underdeveloped. At only 65 pages, there is barely enough time to get to know Ethan and Clara, let alone follow them across a multi-continental adventure. Their dynamic has so much potential, but it never feels fully realized. Often, fictional detectives become bigger, better, and more iconic than their original stories—Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Nancy Drew, and the list goes on. These characters range from understated and smart to vain and irritable, but regardless, their personalities make each story more memorable and more human. In contrast, while The Mosaic Key’s detective duo got the job done, the charisma was missing.
For me, the best part of a mystery novel is being allowed to simmer in the unknown. As a reader, it’s frustrating and exciting in equal parts to know that all the puzzle pieces lie in front of you, if only you could wrap your head around how to put them together. This is especially true for mysteries rooted in history or culture, as there are so many layers of knowledge to parse in order to make sense of the story at hand.
In the case of The Mosaic Key, however, the story is well on its way to being resolved by page 20. Not only does the plot lack the depth that one might anticipate from a mystery novel that considers such rich topics, but there’s also no time for the tension to grow. Without the anxiety that’s usually so key to a mystery, it was difficult to stay invested in the storyline. At times, though the writing was polished and engaging, The Mosaic Key feels more like an outline than a complete novella.
It will be interesting to see how the plot and characters develop over the next books Campbell has planned, or if, perhaps, publishing all the Cole and Vialli Adventures as a short story collection might be more satisfying. As it stands, The Mosaic Key is a good romp, but like a bag of salty snacks, though it’s great in the moment, it only leaves me wanting more.
*
Zoe McKenna received a MA from the UVic and a BA from VIU. Her research focuses on horror writing, with a focus on stories by women. She was the Assistant Editor of That Witch Whispers and her writing has also appeared inBlack Cat, Malahat Review, and Quill & Quire. When not at her desk, Zoe can be found haunting local bookstores and hiking trails. Zoe gratefully acknowledges that she is a guest on the traditional territory of the Puneluxutth (Penelakut) Tribe and the hul’qumi’num-speaking peoples. Find her on Twitter. [Editor’s note: Zoe McKenna has reviewed recent books by Whitney French, Adam Parker, Emily Paxman, Guojing, Deni Ellis Béchard, W.K. Shephard, Ron Prasad, Peter Darbyshire, Richard Van Camp, Nalo Hopkinson, Marcus Kliewer, Ivana Filipovich, Giselle Vriesen, and Scott Alexander for BCR.]
*
The British Columbia Review
Interim Editors: Trevor Marc Hughes (nonfiction), Brett Josef Grubisic (fiction and poetry)
Publisher: Richard Mackie
Formerly The Ormsby Review, The British Columbia Review is an on-line book review and journal service for BC writers and readers. The Advisory Board now consists of Jean Barman, Wade Davis, Robin Fisher, Barry Gough, Hugh Johnston, Kathy Mezei, Patricia Roy, and Graeme Wynn. Provincial Government Patron (since September 2018): Creative BC. Honorary Patron: Yosef Wosk. Scholarly Patron: SFU Graduate Liberal Studies. The British Columbia Review was founded in 2016 by Richard Mackie and Alan Twigg.
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