I love Will Dean. I find all of his books to be so good and terrifying in their own ways. The Chamber was no exception and I spent the whole read going back and forth on what I thought was happening. It was a great read, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

This book had an interesting setting and was a thrilling locked-room mystery. I liked learning about saturation diving since I didn’t know about it before. It was a really exciting story!

The Chamber by Will Dean is a claustrophia-inducing locked room mystery set in the world of deep sea saturation diving. From the beginning, the reader is introduced to the tight, tiny space that the six deep sea divers plan to call home for four weeks. The bunks are barely big enough for anyone to stretch out in and are within stretching distance to the dining area, which is a pace away from the "wet pot" where the divers shower and use the restroom. There is literally no room for anyone to stretch or stand up straight - and that's why the divers love their time outside the chamber on their solo dives where they get six hours to stretch, spin, walk, jump, etc while working on whatever repairs they are assigned to do far below the surface.

As the story progresses, the reader is introduced to the six divers working and living together. They're all experienced and all excited for the job. As the reader experiences the thick, humid, confined enclosure with them, we're also given back stories of the divers and learn about past dives and things that went wrong for them. And suddenly, on day four, a diver dies. The crew is informed that they will be brought back up to the surface, but it will take a while as they have to go through decompression so the crew doesn't get sick. But then another diver dies. And another. Things are getting panicky and the remaining divers do not know who to trust. And the people up above are not giving them any information or news from the surface.

The plot of this one really grabs you. I thought for sure this would be a quick read for me. But it turned out to take me forever to get through it. It was extrememly slow - with many many back stories and "war stories" of the crews previous dives. We also slog through our main character, Ellen's internal and often intrusive thoughts. The fast paced parts were few and far between and the conclusion was so confusing, leaving the reader unsure as to what truly happened in the chamber.

There were still many suspenseful parts and the in depth information about sat diving and decompression chambers was quite interesting to me (at first). I had not read any other books by Dean, but I know many people recommend them - I personally think they're for a certain type of reader and not for everyone.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I loved the first half of this book—it was tense and I felt as claustrophobic and helpless as the divers trapped in such a tight space. Saturation diving is terrifying and I have a lot of respect for those who do it. The premise of this thriller is unconventional and it kept me hooked. I was eager to find out what would happen next.

However, once I reached the halfway point, the story started to drag. It turned into a waiting game to see who would drop next and the narrative became bogged down with countless diving and war stories that didn’t add much to the plot. The story finally regained momentum near the end, just as it was almost time to leave the chamber. While the book does provide a definite conclusion, the ending leaves enough doubt to keep you questioning what really happened. I wasn’t crazy about the ambiguous ending, though I had a sense it was leading in that direction.

Overall, this is a unique thriller with a strong start, though it lost a bit of steam for me. Still, it was an entertaining read.

As a fan of Will Dean, this book was disappointing. He usually keeps you on the edge of your seat and this story just fell flat. There was way too much explanation around irrelevant facts that distracted from the story.

If you’re looking for a good atmospheric book, this should be your next read.

This author does an amazing job describing the working and living conditions inside the sub. It was so descriptive that there were times I was feeling claustrophobic. The murder who dunnit kept me guessing and I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through the book.

The Chamber by Will Dean is a gripping locked-room thriller that plunges readers into the claustrophobic world of saturation divers. Ellen Brooke joins a team of six divers confined within a hyperbaric chamber deep beneath the North Sea, tasked with repairing underwater oil pipelines. Their mission takes a deadly turn when one diver is found unresponsive in his bunk, and with four days of decompression ahead, the tension escalates as trust erodes and paranoia sets in.

Dean masterfully crafts an atmosphere thick with suspense, immersing readers in the oppressive confines of the chamber. The novel delves into themes of trust, survival, and the psychological toll of isolation. While the technical details of saturation diving add authenticity, some readers may find the extensive exposition slows the pacing. Additionally, the ambiguous ending has sparked varied reactions, with some appreciating the open-ended nature, while others desire more closure.

Overall, The Chamber is a compelling read that will appeal to fans of intense, character-driven thrillers set in unique environments

3/5 for this one. I really enjoy Will Dean's other works (First Born and Last Thing to Burn are both faves) I just felt like this one was a bit of a miss for me personally. I had trouble following it, and while the book is clearly very well researched, much of it was hard for me to understand.

Six divers are put in a decompression chamber and they all know how to handle it and what they need to do. Suddenly one of them is found dead in their bunk so things take a quick turn. With over three days left before they can get out they have to figure out who can they trust and will they all make it out alive.

Will Dean is a writer that I really enjoy! This book is no exception and is something I would read again! I thoroughly enjoyed the book and kept me on my toes!

I love Will Dean....I've read a few of his books and really enjoyed them so i was super excited to receive this one. sadly, the chamber missed the mark for me. I felt like this book was a little too much. We got way more than what was needed. the plot just seemed to drag on and on. i feel like it could've been shortened significantly. I also didn't care for the anti-climactic ending. that was a major let down for me. I will look for more by Will because i do usually love his writing.

Book Review:
Title: The Chamber
Author: Will Dean
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars

This book used big words that I didn't understand 🤣. Basically, it shared a lot of information about what a hyperbaric chamber is and how it works. So I understand that's why there were so many technical, fancy words! It truly was interesting to learn about a field of work that I've never had much knowledge of. I just knew things were going to get very claustrophobic being in such an environment. I definitely could not be a saturation driver. They stay down in those chambers for a month at a time. No way!

Ellen Brooke and five other divers are heading underwater in the North Sea for one month in a hyperbaric chamber. They will be taking shifts to do all the duties required in extremely close quarters. Then the divers start dying one by one. Something or someone is killing them in a situation that they have very little help getting. You can't just send people up or down without potentially causing even more death due to decompression. The ending of the book was a little confusing. Did she or didn't she? I don't want to share too much and spoil anything!

Published: August 6th, 2024

This was definitely a slow burn

Six experienced saturation divers are locked inside a hyperbaric chamber. They are away from their families for a month at a time while they deep sea dive
The mission isn't fulfilled because One By One, they start to die. It is found out that they are being poisoned. Either the kitchen staff is putting something in their food or it's one of their very own locked inside the chamber with them that is killing members of the team off
They have to decompress before they can get back to shore and find out what's going on.
In the midst of the chamber decompressing, they each have a story to tell

I'm sorry to say that I did not enjoy this book as much as I had anticipated. The plot occasionally felt slow, and I found some of the language to be unclear. Consequently, I stopped reading it relatively early.

Reading in Between the Wines book review #8/125 for 2025:
Rating: 2 🍷🍷
Book: The Chamber
Author: Will Dean
AVAILABLE NOW!!!

Sipping thoughts: I really like Will Dean, and I do not want to give an unfavorable review. I can just say this one wasn’t for me, but I believe others will like it. There are a lot of parts that I could not understand due to the dual names and the technical parts. I still look forward to a new release.

Cheers and thank you to @Netgalley and @AtriaBooks for an advanced copy of @TheChamber.

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The author's meticulous research into saturation diving added authenticity, and the suspense kept me engaged until the final page.

I thought this seemed like such a neat concept for a book, but it was way too slow. I was bored and it took too long to get to the good part.

The Chamber is a gripping psychological thriller that delves into themes of isolation, fear, and the human psyche. Set in a remote Swedish location, the story follows the protagonist as they confront both external dangers and internal demons. Dean's atmospheric writing effectively builds tension, immersing readers in the chilling landscape and the character's emotional turmoil. The plot is intricately woven, with unexpected twists that keep the reader engaged until the very end. Overall, it's a compelling read for fans of suspenseful tales that explore the darker sides of human nature.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-ARC!

The blurb for this story ENRAPTURED me. Saturation Diving? Check. People stuck in an enclosed space? Check. Slow burn murder mystery? Check.

I really enjoyed the first 60% or so of this book. It reads very much like a journal being written about Ellen(POV)'s career as a diver; combining the main plot with stories of other dives and experiences of the business. After about halfway through though I felt that it started to get old. I felt the tension of paranoia in the enclosed space, but it almost felt too disjointed for my liking. I found the ending to be somewhat climactic for such a huge build up to it. I still enjoyed the setting and explanations of saturation diving though, since I find the career to be extremely fascinating!

This book made me anxious and claustrophobic just reading it! These people were totally bananas! That last twist was awesome and I didn't see it coming!

#TheChamber
#NetGalley

As always, Will Dean does not disappoint. This so the deep sea version of SE Barnes space horror novels. The cramped spaces, the lack of information, the vastness, the mind tricks and a locked room mystery. I still wonder what is madness and how reliable are the narrations. With Dean you have an answer but is it the right one?