If you need a book to keep you on the edge of your seat, this is one for you. The Chamber by Will Dean Is a suspenseful thriller about a group of deep-sea divers trapped in a diving chamber where one by one they all start to suspiciously die. The author does a great job of making you feel the emotions that all of the characters are Going through. You won’t know what is going on in the best possible way. But I tell you I was on the edge of my seat reading this book I mean it. I would say if your claustrophobic approach with caution.

I gave it four stars because I will honestly say it starts off very slowly and it starts off with a lot of technical jargon. You learn a lot about deep-sea divers and how they operate and what the environment they’re in looks like. Which is helpful to the story, I just found that hard to get into. I will say that if you read it in the physical book, he does have a glossary and a chart on the front to show you what the chamber looks like and give you the definition of the terms in the book. Reading on my Kindle made that a little bit harder but once you get more into the book you kind of pick up what these terms mean .

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of publication! The review will be live on my blog on 8/02/24. I will also feature the review on Instagram that same day and post my review to Goodreads, The Storygraph, Fable, and retail sites.

Review:

I was introduced to Will Dean's work last year when I read "The Last One" and immediately became a fan. That book was fast-paced - I seriously couldn't read it fast enough. Was it implausible? Absolutely, but it was still a lot of fun. As soon as I read the synopsis of this one, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy, and while I didn't find it as fast-paced as "The Last One," I still enjoyed it.

This time around, Dean takes readers on a suspenseful journey into the depths of the ocean, where six experienced saturation divers find themselves trapped in a hyperbaric chamber while, one by one, they begin to drop like flies.

This book combines two of my biggest fears: Being out in the middle of the ocean and being trapped in a super-tight space. Not only are the divers locked in this chamber, but they're dangling beneath a boat. When the first person mysteriously dies, it's shocking, but there are protocols in place, and the five remaining members work to get the body up to a specific area in the chamber so it can be away from them and returned to the main ship. The problem is that they have to wait for their tiny coffin-like area to decompress before they can leave, and that takes several days to happen. And then the next crew member drops dead, and now everyone is wondering if someone amongst them is killing them, or if one of the crew who delivers their food and drink is poisoning them, or if it's something else entirely. Whatever the case, they're trapped until the chamber has fully decompressed, and this is when the mental games begin.

From the very first page, Dean grabs readers' attention and doesn't let go. The tension and suspense are palpable as the divers must navigate the treacherous waters of paranoia, exhaustion, and suspicion while trying to uncover the truth behind the mysterious deaths occurring in the chamber. Each character is expertly developed, with their own secrets, fears, and motivations. As the group mentally unravels under the stress of their situation, suspicions run high. Readers will find themselves questioning every character's actions and motives, wondering who can be trusted and who is hiding a deadly secret.

Dean expertly conveys a sense of claustrophobia and dread as the divers struggle to survive and outwit their unknown assailant. The setting of the hyperbaric chamber adds an extra layer of intensity to the story. Dean's vivid descriptions bring the chamber to life, making readers feel as though they are trapped inside with the divers, feeling the oppressive heat and claustrophobia that surrounds them. The sense of isolation and impending danger adds to the overall sense of unease, keeping readers on edge as they race to uncover the killer's identity before it's too late.

In addition to the thrilling suspense, Dean delves into the darker aspects of human nature, showing how fear and desperation can drive people to do unthinkable things. This book is definitely more psychological than action-packed, and while it had me feeling all kinds of claustrophobic, I also found that the book dragged a bit in places. We get some great backstories on the characters as they sit and chat about past dangers they've faced while being on other missions, and while this helped to flesh out the characters, I felt it slowed the novel's pace a bit. It wasn't enough to completely ruin it for me, but it made the pace feel choppy.

If you are a fan of gripping, heart-pounding, locked-room thrillers, you'll definitely want to check this one out. If you are claustrophobic, allow yourself plenty of time to set this one aside and breathe (I know I had to several times). While I felt the pace was a bit off, I still enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a breathtaking psychological read this summer.

Deep Dive into Murder

Call me Ellen Brooke.

Paraphrasing Herman Melville’s memorable opening introducing Ismael in a different nautical tale seems appropriate for Will Dean’s 2024 intriguing locked room mystery, “The Chamber”, about the tangled lives of deep-sea divers.

IIn this tense engrossing story the six experienced saturation divers, or sat rats aka “aquanauts”, are: Tea Bag, Spock, Jumbo, Mike, Andre and Ellen Brooke, the narrator throughout. They are operating from the ship, Deep Topaz, repairing pipelines at the bottom of the North Sea. They are part of a small community plying their trade around the world in hazardous conditions

Essential to their survival is first changing the element mix of their breathing air to adjust for increased pressure to survive working at extreme depths. And surviving the slow return to surface air quality to avoid the fatal “benz” from too rapid transition to surface conditions (take a gander at Nicholas Monsarrat’s 1951 classic novel, “The Cruel Sea”, for related experience).

This entire month-long conditioning process takes place on board the ship with periodic dives in a diving bell by teams of two to the ocean bottom– except when something goes wrong.

In this case, very wrong with what at first appears to be an accidental death but shifts to suspicions of murder. And in already tense time-constrained conditions turns toward a unique locked-room mystery with the threat of “chamber fever” and madness rising at every turn.

Dean does a great job of mixing authentic events such as the 1988 Piper Alpha oil rig fire with the fictional characters and drama to bring an added dimension of Hitchcockian peril as well as sea-faring yarns reminiscent of Melville.

Not for the claustrophobic but suspenseful up to and past the ending.

Oh man...I could not read this! I was so freaking tense when I was only 25 % done. This would keep me up for a million nights if I continued.. obviously that is what the author is going for, so we'll done...but I won't be finishing!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Well that was terrifying! Ellen Brooke is a saturation diver, one of the rare women in the field, working alongside five other male divers on a project in the North Sea. But when the divers start to die, one by one, the work is halted and decompression is begun immediately. But who will survive the final 4 days?

I learned a lot about saturation diving while reading this: all the protocols they have to follow, the brotherhood they need with each other in order to survive mentally and physically, the excruciating timelines that have to be followed to avoid injury, the gasses they have to breathe, etc. I don’t even like to put my face in the water when swimming, I would NEVER attempt scuba diving so this was all very fascinating and horrifying at the same time! I did not really begin to stress out until about the 60% point when a few divers have mysteriously died and the remaining have to stay in the chamber until decompression has been properly completed. The small space, the paranoia, and the need to breathe fresh air all overcame me.

This is a fast paced read and I loved every minute of it but there were a few confusing issues that caused me to knock off a star. For one, most of the divers have a name and a nickname and they are used kind of randomly. They are listed out in one of the early chapters but I didn’t write them down because this is NOT a textbook! And the ending was a little convoluted. The answers, when they come, are fast and a little unclear. But all in all, this is a great book. If you love Will Dean’s work, you will love this one!

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on August 6, 2024

The concept of this book was very intriguing. I loved the “locked room” setting, but felt the story fell a little flat. The characters were a little difficult to keep up with (each had names and nicknames used interchangeably). There was a lot of “wiping down” and a lot of story telling that didn’t contribute to the book. I think the concept was great, but execution could have been better. Also, I hated the ending…

Six saturation divers are working in a hyperbaric chamber when one is found dead. They require four days of decompression before opening the chamber, even when another is found unconscious.

I found myself absolutely fascinated by saturation diving and went into a total rabbit hole online. While the science behind it was too sciency for me, I much appreciated the image and glossary in the beginning. It was easy to understand and I went back to it many times. I loved the claustrophobic feel of the story. It was a very unique locked room thriller. However, the conclusion and ending didn’t do it for me. Quite honestly I’m not sure 100% what happened and feel like I missed something.

“You panic - you die. There is no surface.”

“We can be as futuristic as we like; salt water will always win in the end.”

The Chamber comes out 8/6.

I found this book to be a disappointment overall. I kept waiting for the expected twist(s) I know Will Dean can deliver, but they just never came. To me, this book was kind of lazy. It was like he decided that having these six divers in the ultimate locked-room mystery would be enough titillation to sustain the entirety of the book. That just didn't work. It was a unique concept, but at some point I needed more in order to keep it going.

It's hard to say too much more without giving away spoilers, but I will say that this book kind of uses a very overused and frustrating trope; however, it did it in such a confusing way that I'm left still scratching my head by the book's end. This is just one overarching example of how the plot felt very muddled and lazy to me. Lastly, Dean is obviously trying to do some kind of riff off of Macbeth. I'm a huge Macbeth lover, but this fell very flat. It was more like a quick little head nod to the play instead of going all the way in like it could have, which I think would have produced a much more engaging story overall.

On the positive side, I will say that the book gets very, very intense for a few chapters toward the end. For me, though, this was far too little too late. The ultimate locked room factor with the diving chamber is an inventive take, but that alone was not enough to sustain me as a reader.

The Chamber by Will Dean is a locked-room thriller that takes place in a hyperbaric chamber with six experienced saturation divers. When they start dying one by one, they start pointing fingers at each other. There's plenty of paranoia and blame here. This was a good story, but I wasn't really interested in the characters' back stories. I still enjoyed the read though, and I definitely recommend Dean's previous book The Last One. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital copy. All opinions are my own.

My Honest Review
The Chamber
By Will Dean

Talk about unsettling next level claustrophobia this intense deep sea diving in a submersible follows Brooke and five others. This mysterious thriller of whodunnit really leaves you on the edge of your seat. Dean really paints a vivid picture all the while using lamaze breathing exercises and fingering pointing in this locked room thriller. I really enjoyed this unhinged story.

📚Expected Release August 6, 2024📚
Thank you Atria Books, NetGalley, & the brilliant author Will Dean. I’m super appreciative for the opportunity.📚

I was provided with an advanced copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book details the experience of Sat Divers hundreds of meters below the sea and the challenges they face to complete their dive. The content of this book was entirely new to me and Dean does a great job of explaining the mechanics and intricacies from a diver's perspective. This book starts off a little slow while you learn all you need to know to understand the depths (literally) this book is about to bring you to. You will reformulate what you think you have pieced together with every turn of the page. It was impossible to put down.

The Chamber was a unique, atmospheric thriller that shook me to my core. It felt like the author reached inside my brain, plucked out my worst fears and put them all into a book 😅. I had full body sweats just thinking about the living conditions and terrors these divers had to endure.

I really struggled with the fact that this was a single POV locked room thriller. However, this was definitely a “me” problem, and perhaps that type of book just isn’t my vibe 🤷🏻‍♀️. Personally, I would’ve loved to see the introduction of an outside POV, such as the detective investigating the case.

With that being said, I loved learning about saturation diving. I found it to be an interesting profession, and it was clear that the author went to great lengths to ensure it was accurately represented.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this ARC!

✨Diving
✨Locked room thrillers
✨Nightmare scenarios

Six divers are about to be locked in a pressurized chamber and be lowered down into the North Sea to work for a month. There are 6 divers. When the first one dies, there are questions, but then it happens again!

The Chamber is a unique take on the "locked room" thriller. It is reminiscent of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.

As a reader, I felt like I was trapped in that chamber with the divers! I was feeling claustrophobic, and unsettled Will Dean keeps the suspense and tension going from the first chapter. The pace is fast and the tension continues to mount as the countdown to decompression continues.

Will Dean has become one of my "go to" writers to read. This thriller was great! I really enjoyed it. I am still thinking about the ending! I would highly recommend this book!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this book!

Well, thank you, Will Dean, for teaching me about the esoteric world of saturation diving and then promptly making me proclaim, “Nope. Never. Find a different profession.”

After last year’s “The Last One,” in which Dean transformed a cruise ship into a haunted house, this time we’re in a claustrophobic hyperbaric chamber (with early 2000s technology). Five men and one woman are trying to rebalance the gases in their bodies so they don’t get the bends (decompression sickness). If they leave too early, they die painfully. But something/someone is killing them off one by one inside the chamber in this clever high stakes locked room mystery.

The tale is told in a first person POV via Ellen, also a videographer, but an experienced saturation diver.

The space is cramped but needs to be antiseptic. In a month, bacteria can grow rapidly in the humid conditions, affecting feet and ears. “Serious infections take hold with terrifying rapidity. Germs spread. They multiply and mutate. A team of six can be wiped out in hours in these confined, airless chambers.” This is a novel filled with tactile sensory images — keep imagining the small space the characters are in, but also the multiple bodily changes.

The first person dies fairly early in what should be a monthlong job. A decision is made to depressurize the survivors to retrieve the body, but that will take four days. Four long days of decay and tension in a cramped space. And then another diver dies. Coincidence or murder? By the next incident, it’s obvious that some sort of evil is among them. Will Dean does another terrific job of scaring the life out of the reader. His saturation diving world is an unusual and very dangerous environment and the author does an incredible job of building suspense. 4 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES The first character named, Mike Elliot, has green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Everything is water.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

Rounding up from 4.5 stars

Wow! Usually if I take a break from reading a book it's because it's not captivating me and it's easy to put down. I took a break from this book because I was making myself dizzy from holding my breath so much. I had to stop reading it the first night because I knew I'd have nightmares! Books don't have that effect on me. If you've seen a certain episode of Friends, you'll know what I mean when I saw I wanted to put the book in the freezer!

Mr. Dean did such an amazing job at conveying the stress and fear and paranoia of the characters confined in the chamber. I have never felt the feelings of characters in a book this strongly.

If you are claustrophobic or have a fear of being held underwater, this book might not be for you. On the other hand, it is a great fast paced psychological thriller that keeps you guessing and popping in surprises until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Pub date August 6, 2024

In hindsight, just because I love this author doesn’t mean I should have picked up this book. I know it about myself that things like underwater chambers are not of interest to me. Unfortunately, I decided to try this anyway since Will Dean’s writing is some of my favorite.

The storyline itself and the characters just did not resonate with me. I thought it was well written and I didn’t guess the ending though I did find it to be anticlimactic and unsatisfying.

The idea of being trapped in a hyperbaric chamber in the middle of the North Sea with your fellow divers dropping like flies one by one is so terrifying. Especially when it takes 5 days to decompress the chamber before you can get out.

As much as I loved the premise, I didn’t love the execution. There was truly so much time spent explaining all of the details and jargon of saturation diving which is not a topic I particularly find interesting. The description of the dive was pretty cool though. I didn’t feel invested in any of the characters to really care who was dying.

I could’ve looked past that if it had an interesting, satisfying twist or even a twist that made sense. I’m still confused on what actually happened at the end.

It’s not a bad book. I loved Will Deans last book The Last One but this one just wasn’t for me. I still plan on reading anything else he puts out.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Fantastic. I read Will Dean’s The Last One so fast and saw this one and knew I needed to read it. It was amazing. I’m a Will Dean fan now!

The Chamber is a a very different type of story than the author's last wild, adrenaline fueled thriller, The Last One, and it took some time for me to get into the flow with this one. In the 2nd half, the story gained traction, the tension ramped up, and from there I flew thru the pages as questions and wild guesses began piling up and driving me forward toward another crazy Will Dean style ending.

Claustrophobia, anxiety, tension, dread, and trust-no-one suspicion. You'll feel it all in this tale of saturation divers locked in a hyperbaric chamber together as one by one mysterious illness sets in, and they're trapped together until decompression is complete. Increasingly strange questions and requests from the outside cultivate paranoia not just with the characters but also the reader, and nobody is above suspicion.

There's a lot of technical information about diving, the hyperbaric chamber, and being in a high-pressure environment. I found the details interesting up to a point, but there were moments I felt overwhelmed by the constant flow of info and felt it distracted me from being fully immersed in the mystery.

Overall, this was a fresh spin on the locked room mystery with a truly unique setting, a nightmarish scenario, and relentless, slow building pressure. Readers who enjoy the inclusion of technical information to give a greater sense of realism to their mystery will enjoy The Chamber.

Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and Netgalley for providing me a copy to read and review.

Ellen Brooke and her five colleagues are saturation divers and they are just beginning a new assignment in the North Sea. They are closer than kin, locked together in a hyperbaric chamber for the duration of the job. The chamber cannot be opened without the divers suffering rapid decompression and death. No problem, it's Brooke's happy place, where she feels most at home. That is, until one of her fellow divers drops dead. With no idea what happened and no way to escape, the divers must be hyper vigilant and do their best to make it back to the world above.

This is a new, original twist on the classic locked room mystery. I found the premise fascinating, and learned a ton about saturation divers and their world. This book steadily ratchets up the tension and suspense until the reader is left breathless. I couldn't reach the conclusion fast enough, because I felt so claustrophobic while reading it. I didn't care for the ending, which caused me to deduct a star from my rating, but I do think it may work well for other readers. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the review copy.