The Welsh Archive

After gaining a reputation for solving investigations where evidence and modern technology collide, Rhys Maren is drawn into an extraordinary mystery by a single photograph. The image appears genuine in every respect, yet it seems to show a level of colour photography that should not have existed when it was supposedly taken. What appears impossible becomes the starting point for a far larger investigation.

The photograph leads Rhys to an isolated house in North Wales and an immense private archive left behind by a quiet former civil servant. Thousands of photographs, notebooks, negatives and forgotten records reveal the work of a man who spent decades documenting people, places and events with meticulous care while leaving almost nothing about himself. As Rhys pieces together the collection, he discovers that it is more than a family inheritance, it is a hidden historical record that reaches into government departments, early photography and the lives of ordinary people whose contributions were never recognised.

Part historical mystery, part archival investigation, The Welsh Archive explores the enduring value of evidence, memory and the people who quietly preserve history without expecting recognition. It is a story about the remarkable lives hidden inside forgotten records, and how the past continues to shape the present long after its witnesses have gone.

What you'll find in this story

• A historical mystery inspired by the real history of photography.
• A forgotten archive hidden in the heart of North Wales.
• Rare photographs, notebooks and evidence waiting to be discovered.
• Ordinary lives preserved through a lifetime of quiet observation.
• An investigator who follows the evidence wherever it leads.

Release info

The Welsh Archive is available in paperback and ebook.