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Writing began as a way for me to put memories and experiences on paper. One story led to another, characters grew, and before long I had written across modern military conspiracy, Second World War fiction, near‑future warfare and stories inspired by real people. Across all of them, certain themes return: loyalty, friendship, duty, betrayal, courage and the choices people make when there is no easy answer.
My background shaped everything. I served with The Life Guards, Household Cavalry from 1989–1997, including the Gulf War (1991) and Bosnia with UNPROFOR (1995). Those experiences taught me that military life is about people, trust, humour and the friendships formed between individuals who suddenly find themselves living and working together. As I wrote in the original text: “Humour becomes a way of dealing with pressure.” That authenticity is what I try to bring into every book.

THE SHADOWS CONSPIRACY FILES

My largest series is the five‑book Shadows Conspiracy Files, beginning in Bosnia and expanding through Germany, the US and the desert. The core question is simple: What happens when soldiers witness something they were never meant to see?

1. Bosnia: Where The Shadows Began

The conflict environment is unstable, factions overlap, danger hides in plain sight — and something begins that doesn’t make sense. Small events connect. A pattern forms. Secrets follow the soldiers home.

2. Shadows of Germany

Bosnia’s unanswered questions resurface. Old connections appear. Trust becomes fragile. The conspiracy grows and the soldiers realise they’ve stepped into something far bigger.

3. Shadows Across the Atlantic

The story expands internationally. Borders don’t contain the truth. Once the characters know what they know, turning back is no longer an option.

4. The Desert of Shadows

A new landscape, the same threat. Too much has happened to walk away. Answers emerge — but answers create danger.

5. Where The Shadows End

Everything leads here. Loyalties are tested, enemies revealed, and the consequences of the original question finally arrive.

THE PRISONER’S WAR

A Second World War story centred on Harry Carver, exploring courage, survival and identity when a soldier becomes a prisoner. It asks what keeps someone going when everything familiar has been taken away.

ALL TRAITORS MUST FACE JUSTICE

A story about trust, betrayal and the thin line between justice and revenge. People justify their actions — but consequences arrive regardless.

THE GHOST SIGNAL

A near‑future military thriller exploring modern warfare’s dependence on technology. When information becomes unreliable, soldiers must rely on instinct, not screens.

THREE MEN IN A PICTURE

Inspired by old military photographs and the lives behind them. A single captured moment hides entire stories — families, friendships, hopes and losses.

WHY I WRITE

Across all my books, the connection is simple: people. Characters matter more than explosions. Soldiers argue, laugh, make mistakes and stand together when it counts. As the original text says: “My characters are not superheroes… but when it matters, they stand together.”

WHERE TO FIND MY BOOKS

My books are available on Amazon, Goodreads and Written. Search Dean Dawson plus the title. Paperbacks are £11.99 where available.

WHERE TO START

• Military conspiracy thrillers: Bosnia: Where The Shadows Began → follow the five‑book series in order.
• WW2 survival: The Prisoner’s War
• Loyalty, betrayal, justice: All Traitors Must Face Justice
• Near‑future warfare: The Ghost Signal
• Military history & photographs: Three Men In A Picture

THANK YOU

Writing is solitary, but readers make it worthwhile. Every review, recommendation and late‑night chapter matters. If someone stays awake longer than planned because they need the next chapter, I’ve achieved something.
Search DEAN DAWSON on Amazon | Goodreads | Written.
Start in Bosnia. That’s where the shadows began.