Member Reviews
I think this was a lot about grief. There’s a lot to do with it. This was a bit slower and more repetitive than I had hoped. I think the end scene where you’re desperate for them to leave and get out was the best part and the most suspenseful. But the very end was a little confusing to me and I didn’t know who did what.
The Chamber ☾𖤓
By Will Dean
What a ride ! I was panicking from the claustrophobia and it made it feel so real with this book! Everything about this thriller is great and I highly recommend
I had not read prolific author Will Dean before, so I decided to dive in with this nightmarishly claustrophobic undersea locked-room mystery, and a very excellent choice it was. Mr. Dean is a talented writer indeed, and his balance of the normal (from the divers' viewpoints) events on ship and below the North Sea against their varied onshore existences, relationships, inability to adjust to routine life, and then suddenly the terror commences, then continues to mount, as one after another is inexplicably and implacably struck down. As the Narrator-diver repeatedly points out, they can't escape until the decompression period is ended; they can't go undersea to work. They don't know it it's a medical issue, sabotage, or human premeditation that is felling them. What is left to do...but go mad??
The Chamber is a locked room thriller taking place undersea, in a diving chamber. They start with 6, but then tragedy strikes. Unable to immediately return to shore, the remaining divers must cope with their own humanity and their pasts, while trying to understand what was happening.
After reading and loving First Born then The Last One, I was so excited to receive this ARC! I was skeptical at it being another locked room, after The Last One, especially since First Born was not, so I know Will Dean is not a one trick pony.
Elements of The Chamber definitely left me anxious- mainly the setting. The thought of being trapped underwater, knowing an early escape may result in death so they truly have to wait it out…I’m pretty sure I have Thalassophobia, so no thank you.
But that was about all that I liked. A lot of the book was just memories, especially detailing previous traumatic experiences from war or other missions. I predicted the MCs trauma fairly early so it did not come as a surprise to me at all. I felt as though a lot of the memories and stories told made it hard to follow, too, as they happened seamlessly throughout the story.
I’m also very disappointed with the ending. I want a concrete ending. I want to know whodunnit it. And while I’m pretty sure, if I’m right I predicted it pretty early too. If I’m wrong, I need much much more information.
If this book had had a solid ending, it would have been at least 3 stars. It could have been more based on what the ending was, but I just wasn’t ready for that disappointment.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to love this one… I have really liked Dean’s other books but this one just did not do it for me. The premise was good and I usually enjoy locked in stories but this was had so much technical information that I couldn’t focus on the actual mystery. I really didn’t connect with any of the characters and the ending was a bit confusing for me.
I think Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy.
This book took my breath away! The claustrophobia was real with this book. There were multiple points during this book that I truly felt a pressure in my chest like I was stuck and struggling to get air in my lungs. Everything about this thriller is absolutely perfect! It's a wonderful spooky-season read.
From the moment the hatch locked the anxiety mounted as I was propelled to the deep sea. If that weren’t enough tings turn very bad when a member of the team dies mysteriously. This book makes you feel as if you are there. This book was a great thrill ride.
I devoured this book in 16 hours. If you're looking for a "just one more chapter" marathon, look no further. The ultimate locked door suspense. Locked doors, at the depths of the sea, no where to go but up and it will take Days.
The Chamber by Will Dean is a gripping thriller set in the claustrophobic environment of a hyperbaric chamber. The novel follows six experienced saturation divers, who are used to the intense conditions of their work—hot, confined spaces, and the necessity of breathing helium. However, their routine is shattered when one diver is found dead in his bunk. With four days of decompression ahead before they can safely open the hatch, the tension skyrockets as another diver is found unresponsive.
Dean masterfully ramps up the suspense, keeping readers on edge as paranoia and suspicion fester among the remaining divers. The tight quarters amplify the sense of dread, making every moment fraught with danger. As the days drag on, the psychological strain takes its toll, leading to a nail-biting climax. *The Chamber* is a must-read for fans of high-stakes thrillers, blending elements of mystery and psychological tension in an unforgettable setting.
Thank you Will Dean, Atria Books, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!
Will Dean is excellent at orchestrating suspense and atmosphere, and he doesn’t disappoint with ‘The Chamber’.
Six ‘sat’ [Saturation] divers are on a boat heading out into the North Sea. Their job is to repair oil pipes 100 metres below sea. They can be working for days or weeks and the only way back to the surface is by decompression, a very slow, careful operation (too fast means death). Physical and emotional health, and the ability to work as a team, is crucial. But in this locked hyperbaric chamber thriller something goes seriously wrong and one of the divers is found unconscious. The divers are tested to their limits and beyond.
Dean has clearly done his research on how these jobs are conducted, what the equipment and vehicles look like, and especially, what exactly is a ‘sat’ diver and what does it take to be successful.
This is a claustrophobic, anxiety-ridden, atmospheric and intelligent thriller-- enthusiastically recommend!
Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC
A locked room thriller but make it a small hyperbaric chamber descending to the seabed...and one by one, each saturation diver mysteriously dies. There's no safe, fast way out because you're caged in the depths of the vast, dark ocean; the climb back up to the surface has to be slow and steady or you could die from decompression alone...what do you do??
Well, that was TERRIFYING! Will Dean has managed to write an atmospheric thriller that made me feel the claustrophobic heat of the chamber. I felt the pressure and suffocating horror of being latched into a tiny, enclosed space with no way out. I truly felt like I was one of the team, gearing up to dive to the bottom of the ocean, breathing in Heliox (for those that don't know, that's a mixture of helium and oxygen used as a breathing gas - I'm an expert diver now.)
The short chapters make this an easy read and the beginning will grip you right away. There are slow moving parts in the middle but the tension is still so palpable that you just have to keep reading. I would of liked less of the backstories from the divers' previous gigs/war stories. Dean clearly did thorough research so there is A LOT of hyperbaric chamber terminology and diving processes, which adds to the imagery. There is a glossary as well as a drawing labeling the chamber and its connecting parts. But, because of the jargon, I wouldn't recommend going the audiobook route unless you have a strong knowledge of sat diving. It can get confusing really fast.
AND THEN COMES THE ENDING...Why does he do this? As with his last book, The Last One, his endings RUIN the whole experience for me. Where we should of had a shocking twist, it's an anticlimactic ending. In this case, we don't get a grand reveal or finale...instead I'm left with so many questions!! WHY oh WHY when we could've had something good? I'm rounding my rating up to 3 stars because of the tense, vivid atmosphere and prickly feelings of paranoia I experienced while reading it. I'm hoping in his next book I can get a satisfying ending!
After reading a few Will Dean books in the past and enjoying them, I was looking forward to his latest novel. Unfortunately the writing was incredibly bland.
I went into this expecting a claustrophobic thriller and that is exactly what I got. This book focuses on making you feel the tension between the divers when someone or something kills one of them. I loved that Dean included a glossary at the beginning of the book so you could really immerse yourself in the life of a saturation diver. I would say he used the glossary terms a lot, so make sure you know them.
This book started off fast and kept a steady pace. I didn’t get attached to any of the divers, even though we got to hear about their traumas and diving experiences. I do think the plot points were pretty repetitive, but it kept me interested.
There were some twists throughout and I had no idea who to trust. However, I was pretty confused as to the “why” behind the ending. I liked the reveal but it needed more explanation. I also wish we got to see more sat diving since I found that so interesting. Overall, this book's setting is unique and I enjoyed it.
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this eARC to review. All opinions are my own. This book will be released on August 6th, 2024!
Read if you like:
🔑 Locked Room Thrillers
❓ Unreliable Narrators
💧 Underwater/Claustrophobic Spaces
The premise of The Chamber reads like the ultimate locked-room mystery. Six saturation divers are locked together in a hyperbaric chamber deep in the North Sea. One by one, they start dying off. Because rapid decompression would kill them all, they have to wait four days after the first body is found before they can safely rise to the surface, all the while trying to figure out who is behind the deaths and whether they will be the next to die.
The execution of the book is another story. While there is a glossary of terms included with the book, I still found myself needing to stop and Google certain terms and ideas to really gain an accurate picture of what was going on. This made it very hard to focus on, and get invested in, the story. I finally gave up on looking things up in an effort to just get through to the end and find out who was killing everyone. With less than 10% of the book to go, there was still no killer in sight. The ending was a let down. I was pretty sure I knew who the killer was, and I was right. I don't always mind figuring it out ahead of time when the storyline keeps me entertained, but in this case I was just doing my best to finish at all. I believe the amount of technical jargon used in the book is going to make this one hard to follow for many readers.
Thank you to NetGalley, Will Dean, and Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Reading this book was so enjoyable. I had to keep reading to see what was going to happen and who was responsible. Ultimately, the ending was a little bit of a let down for me. So much build up to what happened and then very little in the way of explanation. I will continue to read everything this author writes though, because the storytelling was so gripping.
Six saturation divers are at the beginning of a job. They are locked in a small chamber, where they will live at the pressure they will be diving at. Even though they are still on the ship, with staff just a few inches away, they are effectively cut of from any immediate help.
Ellen Brooke is the only woman among the divers and one of very few women divers in the job. She brings a camcorder and plans to document the experience, in hopes of encouraging more women to join the Sat diver world.
Most of the divers have worked together before. The newest diver has only had one previous Sat dive job before.
Brooke and her dive partner are the first team down. Brooke does her shift, with her partner remaining on stand by in case of emergencies. It will be his turn out next, when their team's turn comes back around.
When they return to the ship something is wrong....one of the other divers never woke up. Sometimes a diver dies, perhaps a medical anomaly was overlooked? With the death of a diver the job is over. It takes 4 days to safely decompress the divers, before they can exit the chamber.....just enough time for another diver to die.
Is some one killing them? Is there an issue with the gas the divers have to breathe while under pressure? Is the danger from the outside? Or are they locked inside with their killer?
Thank you to Atria Books (An Imprint of Simon & Schuster) and Netgalley for the opportunity to enjoy this tension filled e-ARC thriller.
Read if you like:
🩳 Short Chapters
🗝️Locked Room Thrillers
💗 Heart Pounding Feeling
⁉️ Questioning Everything
🌊 Ocean/Submarine Setting
☠️ Why is everyone dying
🔍 Who did it?!
If you love books that leave you going what the hell actually happened and questioning everything and everyone, then Will Dean’s books are for you!
After reading The Last One last year, I knew I had to read The Chamber too, and Will Dean is now solidly a must read author for me!
I love the way you feel absolutely trapped, the pacing perfection with slow moments but built into short chapters that leave you saying, just one more chapter hoping for answers, but being left with more and more questions.
If you love ambiguous endings that make you wonder, what was real, what happened, who did what?! But really?!?!? Then this and Will’s other books will most definitely be for you!
I won’t say much about the actual plot, because I think it’s best to experience as I did blindly, but please check this one out if it sounds up your alley and you won’t be disappointed!
Thank you Atria for my gifted ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Let me prefect by saying a am 50/50 with Will Dean. Loved Last Thing to Burn but didn’t like the one with the cruise. This one was similar to the second one. I had a hard time picturing the situation with the chamber and the ship and the pressure and the diving bell. I went back to look at the diagram a few times. I was into this book from the beginning. It was so different and weird and what the heck is happening to these people?? I wanted to get to the end to see the twist. But honestly I was let down. I didn’t think the “twist” or solution was really that exciting or made much sense.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers allowing me to read an eARC of this anticipated mystery/thriller. I have only read The Last One by this author and really enjoyed reading that one last year. This one didn't quite hit the same for me.
To start off there is a lot of info dumping about saturation deep diving. It all was relevant, but I felt like I missed information needed later on that I then had to reference the glossary and image at the front to understand again, plus use Google to better understand what dive decompression was.
I personally would have liked to linger slightly longer on the diving stage, experience more unsettling underwater scenes, especially with how deep they were diving. We shot straight into the decompression confinement and isolation though. This book is very slow burn. There is a lot of conversation, not much physical action with the crew being in confined isolation. I felt only surface level connection to the cast of characters. In my opinion,they weren't well established, but you only sort of get to know them through the banter on board. I thought things would rapidly pick up, but it mostly stayed the same pace throughout. Only a build of tension.
The ending for me is mixed. I was left confused more than satisfied.
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
This book definitely delivers an unusual and wild concept and a unique spin on the locked-room mystery. Dean effectively writes a claustrophobic and intense environment.
However, the execution and writing makes this book fall short for me. Despite the crazy atmosphere that was developed, the plot drags with excessive wordy reflection across the characters, TOO MUCH diver-lingo, and detailed, but distracting information about saturation diving. There were a few exciting moments, but the conclusion left me very confused. For those who enjoy a strong psychological edge and a slow-burn plot, it might still be worth a try, but unfortunately wasn't what I was hoping for.
This one was another locked room mystery. There was a lot of technical information given about submarines. All in all it was still a Will Dean novel, and I just love him. He always writes something different.
Divers in a submarine are coming up dead. Who is doing it and why? Claustrophobic is the best word to describe this one. His writing is always top tier! However, this wasn’t my favorite of his. I will still continue to read his work.
Thank you Atria books, Will Dean and NetGalley for the opportunity!
Release date August 6th
3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️