The Cold Box Seahorses

A quiet weekend on the Pembrokeshire coast is meant to give Gareth Rhys and his wife Lowri time away from old cases, difficult headlines, and the dangers that have followed his career for too long. But Gareth has never been good at looking away.

When a respected marine biologist is found dead below a coastal path, the explanation seems simple enough: a tragic fall, poor weather, slippery rocks, and a woman who often worked alone. Yet small details trouble Gareth. A missing notebook. A broken camera strap. A harbour where conversations stop when strangers pass.

As Gareth and Lowri are drawn deeper into the working world of fishing boats, seagrass beds, harbour sheds, seafood buyers, and guarded local loyalties, a darker pattern begins to emerge. Protected seahorses are vanishing from the sea, passing through cold boxes, freight routes, and respectable businesses that do not want questions asked.

Back in Newport, Acting Detective Inspector Sara Llewellyn, Border Force officer Bill Hatchett, forensic ecologist Dr Elinor Shaw, and Gareth’s editor Elin Morgan each bring their own pressure to the case. Some want evidence. Some want silence. Some simply want the truth to survive long enough to be printed.