Dead Signal: A Cal Ruan Thriller — Conspiracy, Staged Deaths, and High-Stakes Crime

by Solomon Carter

Cal Ruan was sent to Cornwall to rot.
What he finds there could get him killed.

Former military intelligence, Ruan has been sidelined by the NCA and buried on the coast, monitoring low-level trafficking chatter. It’s meant to be quiet. Punishment for being too effective at his job.

Then a fragment of a dead man’s transmission surfaces.
Someone tried to expose a conspiracy. They were taken alive. The site wiped clean.

Ruan recognises the pattern instantly.
It’s the operation that should have killed him.

Breaking protocol, he uncovers staged suicides, vanished whistleblowers, and a powerful network hiding behind a public regeneration project. These people don’t threaten. They erase.

When investigative journalist Mara Keene brings evidence of her own, Ruan faces a stay hidden—or stop a deadly conspiracy already in motion.

Because one thing is now clear.
Ruan wasn’t sent to Cornwall to observe.
He was sent there to disappear.

No allies. No safe place. Two people against a conspiracy that will destroy anyone who gets in the way.

★★★★★ “A superb plot full of explosive action!”
★★★★★ “A cracking read with plenty of surprises!”

A relentless British thriller for fans of Lee Child, Mick Herron, and Mark Dawson.

Grab your copy now!

240 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 5, 2026

About the author

Hello folks,
My name is Solomon Carter, and I am the author of the Roberts and Bradley PI crime thriller series, The Last Line international thriller series, the DI Hogarth Darkest series and more. I write mysteries, crime and thriller novels and more besides.

I was born in Southend, Essex and lived there for most of my life apart from eventful student days in South London. But my life in Southend was even more eventful still. I ended up working in a string of jobs including as a jobcentre clerk, a book seller, tutor for youth with low skills and low self esteem, mortgage broker, and latterly manager of a food bank which dealt with all kinds of interesting people facing all kinds of eye-opening, jaw dropping problems. Because of these ear-to-the-ground jobs the majority of my novels are set in Southend. In 2016 I moved to North Cornwall because I liked the idea of never-ending holidays - but I also write almost every single day. My aim is to write action-packed thrillers and page-turning mysteries that readers love and my hope is to get better at what I do with every book across each and every year.

I like to give away lots of free books as part of what I do. If you would like to receive some of these and get the exclusives on offer, than you're invited to join my free readers group at SolomonCarter.net. I won't spam you, just send the occassional email with news on the latest books and forthcoming freebies.

And if you want to see the memes, personal shares and other oddball stuff I do, then you can join me at Facebook via www.facebook.com/solomoncarterwrites and join the fun there too.

What I am good at: telling stories
What I am bad at: dancing, being patient.
What I love: nature, the seaside, adventures
Writers I heartily recommend: Lee Child, Ian Rankin, Henning Mankell, Val McDermid, Harlan Coben, Robert Crais.
Writers I need to read more of: Val McDermid, Ian Rankin, Michael Connelly and others.
Other things I do beside writing: at present I like to keep my running going to balance out the sitting behind a laptop (a habit inspired by Haruki Murakami's 'What I talk about when I talk about running' - a great book).
-I am currently doing surf lessons. When in Rome, as they say...
-Getting out into nature as the weather allows.

I look forward to hearing from you.
Until then I'll keep on writing. Or running. Or surfing. Or chasing my children around the house.

All the very best,
Solomon :)

PS
if you have enjoyed any of my books, I'd be honoured if you could post a review. Those reviews really do help!

Reviews

[Julie Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This new trilogy sees Cal Ruan, part of an intelligence network, dissatisfied with his current assignment. There was something else going on.

The writing style was short and sharp, enhancing the danger and Ruan's quick mind. There was plenty of tension in this cat and mouse game.

Mara is a journalist...

I liked the two main characters set in a scary, realistic world of those in power wanting more.

Engaging.

[Alan Proudfoot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy enough page turner, but when I drift through a book 3+ weeks it generally means the story is not as great as it could be!

But the Cornwall connection was a nice bonus!

Read it yourself, you’ll most likely enjoy it!

🙏🏻🤓📖

[Craig Smedley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new series and new characters. Cal Ruan, introduced here, has a mixed past and ghosts from the past that still haunt him, although those ghosts were incurred by following orders not breaking them. Nowadays he is painted as something of a maverick by his current employers, the NSA, who have posted him to Cornwall to monitor possible human trafficking, illegal immigration, and smuggling operations. But Cal is a field operative – not a placid observer and his role where nothing is happening frustrates him until one day, technology provides the first proper lead in months, of something untoward, which lures him to investigate further.
As facts unfold, Cal becomes more and more suspicious of why he has been posted to Cornwall. Then when situations indicate more than what he has been posted to observe, and his immediate superior wants him to stay away from these emerging conspiracies there are plenty of twists and turns to navigate. When he meets a woman taking photographs of a possible crime scene, more twists and turns unfold and together they unearth complex conspiracies, threatening the very country, not just Cornwall. A good read with plenty of surprises along the way.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been following Solomon Carter's Hogarth and Dan & Eva series since he started them and been addicted. They are set in his old home town, Southend. He has written a police detective series set in Cornwall, his new home, with a similar set up but I couldn't get into that. This, book however, is totally different. It It's hero is Cal Ruan, a former special forces, now NCA operative, stuck in a safe house alone doing a boring, and from his point of view, pointless job. But hearing about the billionaire head of a huge, powerful AI tech company has gone missing and meeting investigative journalist, Mara Keene at the scene of a murder changes everything. This story is fast paced, action packed, suspenseful, pitting the lone ex soldier and journalist who smell danger at the highest level and can't let it go .... It is real edge of my seat storytelling with characters I felt I got behind very quickly. As always with Solomon Carter, it's a long story that will be played out over three books. I already have book two, Black Coast and can't wait to continue where we left off in this first instalment. Brilliant stuff!

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book in the new Cal Ruan series. Ruan - ex military, now NCA, has been sidelined to Cornwall. He’s monitoring trafficking intel. It’s a punishment!

Then, out of the blue he picks up part of a worrying conversation, so in direct contravention of his orders, he starts his own investigation, which leads to suicides that are in all likelihood murder, missing whistleblowers and corruption and rot that lead almost as far up the chain as it’s possible to go.

Along with investigative journalist Mara Keene, the pair will stop at nothing to blow the conspiracy wide open.

[David Shillito · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome read.

An awesome read from start to finish. A real page turner from page 1 to the very end.

The only dislike I think was maybe too many different characters to try and remember their names etc.

I would recommend everyone to read this book.

[Andrew Jenkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story was ok but didn't feel it was well written with some dodgy continuity mistakes. Not sure if I missed it but didn't realise till I got to the end of have to buy the next book to complete the story. Most likely won't.

[Stefan Rowana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Evil criminal network vs single NCA agent an journalist. Convoluted, complex plot with a lot that should be explained in line with the story. Th result was I lost track and my mind drifter. I won't be reading book 2.

[Mrs B Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent just had to buy the next one!

[Alan Lettis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't think it was as good as a Howgath.
Seemed to take a long time to get going and the need to buy books 2 and 3 to complete the story, but to be honest I don't think I'll bother.

[Blorengia · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 18%
I like a good thriller/mystery as much as the next person but this just wasn't holding my attention. Life's too short to persevere when I have a TBR pile of about 20 books by my bed.