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?

This book had a unique setting and was a suspenseful locked room mystery. I enjoyed the explanations of saturation diving as I had no knowledge of this prior to reading the book. A very engaging thriller.
Many thanks to Atria and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

With the recent submarine sinking, this book was a must read. The claustrophobia of having to be inside of the tank was terrifying, not to mention all of the events that took place in the dark waters. The ocean is such a mysterious place as it is, the story took that wonder and amped up the intensity tenfold.

The Chamber
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Author: Will Dean

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Atria Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Six experienced saturation divers are locked inside a hyperbaric chamber. Calm and professional, they know that rapid decompression would be fatal and so they work in shifts, breathing helium, and surviving in hot, close quarters.

Then one of them is found dead in his bunk.

With four days of decompression to go before the locked hatch to the chamber can be safely opened, the group must watch one another’s backs at all times. And when another diver is discovered unresponsive, everyone is on edge. What…or who…is taking them out one by one? And will any of them still be alive by the time the four days is up or will paranoia, exhaustion, suspicion, and pressure destroy them all?

My Thoughts: Six divers are locked in a hyperbaric chamber to repair oil pipe lines deep below the ocean floor. This is dangerous work and trust within one another is a must. When one of the members is found dead, they start the process of decompression. Due to the depths they dive, all members have to go through decompression correctly, which will take four days. In the meantime, the other five members are locked in very tight quarters with a dead body with cause of death being unknown. The long days tick by and in doing so, will the paranoia of knowing someone murdered your colleague could be your bunk mate, or will the exhaustion and suspicion continue to haunt the remaining four members? This follows the tropes of locked room mystery with a psychological thriller flare, as well as a whodunit mystery.

The story is narrated in a single person POV by Ellen Brooke. This was a very claustrophobic locked room mystery. Probably one of the most original premise settings I have read. The characters were well developed with depth, were mysterious, a little secretive, and intriguing. The supporting characters (characters outside the core diving team) elevated this story to another level. The author’s writing style was complex, twisty, suspenseful, and chilling. The story opens with character backstories. Then the plot is delivered in twisty layers, some were unpredictable. The ending was open ended, left to the readers interpretation, which was a little different for me. The author does a great job at transferring the claustrophobic feel from the page to your brain while you are reading. In the last third of the book, you really feel that squeeze.

While I have loved past books from Dean, I found this one lacking a little. Sometimes the divers are referenced by their first name and sometimes by their last name. Then we have other supporting characters that are referenced by their job titles or their name, it just made is a bit muddled and at times, confusing. Multiply this by the occupation being a highly specialized field that is difficult for the lay person to understand. While there was a glossary and diagram, a little more detail in their occupations would have made things clearer. This will not deter me from reading future books by Dean, as I believe he is a talented author and does psychological thriller flare/ locked door mysteries well. This book was not bad, just a few things I would change. I would recommend for other readers, as we know, reading is very subjective.

I finished reading The Chamber quite a while ago, and I still find myself thinking about it. The setting was literally uncomfortable and disturbing, which translated fabulously into the feelings this book created in me while reading. The tension and terror of being trapped in such a small space and not being able to escape due to a 4 day decompression was unsettling. The horror of trying to determine who and what was killing everyone just added to the fear. I didn’t see any of the twists ahead of time. I finished the book and had to sit and process what I had read. The lack of having the conclusion force fed to the reader is one of my favorite qualities in Will Dean’s writing. I want to think and feel - this book accomplished that hands down.

I have posted this review on Amazon, Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6716617029

And Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/share/BAIkcsBYbx

I knew going in that this one would get to me. I despise tight spaces and absolutely will not f with the open ocean. This is the third book I have read from the author this year and will be reading everything they write. I have been talking about this book nonstop since I finished it. Will continue to recommend.

Will Dean is a new author for me. I have 2 other books by him, that I still haven't read yet, but the synopsis to this one made me want to read it really bad. I thought this was a really good, suspenseful read. I was hooked and could not put it down.

Gah this book. Will dean knows how to make you sit on the edge of your seat. This book really got me as well. With the small spaces, the water and everything man he really knows how to make you sweat. Thrilling and fast paced.

If I’m ever in the need of a fast paced thriller, I always know Will Dean’s books will fit the bill. This was a page
turner for me and kept my attention from the start. As always, Dean incorporates a very interesting setting- this time it is set in a
hyperbaric chamber where the divers are being picked off one by one. The plot kept me guessing up until the end. THE CHAMBER is definitely a claustrophic, locked room mystery so if that sounds like something you’d like- I highly recommend grabbing Will Dean’s newest!

If you like suspenseful thrillers with unique settings, you'll love The Chamber. Will Dean creates a truly claustrophobic and terrifying atmosphere as he traps his characters in an underwater diving chamber. Just be aware that the story takes a little while to get going, and there's some technical jargon that might slow you down.

This was only my second book by this author, but I've quickly learned that Will Dean loves to write a heart-pounding thriller that leaves you on the edge of your seat.

THE CHAMBER is a locked-room thriller that takes place inside a hyperbaric chamber. The characters are experienced saturation divers and find themselves locked in a chamber. When one of them is found dead, they find themselves trapped with no safe way to escape until decompression happens.

I love reading books in the vein of AND THEN THERE WERE NONE by Agatha Christie. However, I feel like I've read so many locked-room thrillers that I have high expectations. I loved learning about saturation divers and what their jobs entail. I found myself more interested in that part of the story than the rest. The suspense was fantastic, but towards the end it struggled to hold my interest and I didn't really care enough about the characters.

I'm excited to see what wild story Will Dean throws our way next!

Definitely not my favorite from Will Dean. Very confusing atmosphere and terminology. Did not live up to the hype, in my opinion....unless you work on the water, or in a submarine??

Thank you, Atria Books, for the gifted copy of The Chamber by Will Dean.

Why did I sign up to read a book about a group of divers locked in a hyperbaric chamber underwater when I have extreme claustrophobia? I honestly have no idea, but I did, and here we are, a thousand nightmares later.

This is my second book from this author, and unfortunately, it was not for me.

Dean is a master at creating the perfect, eerie, atmospheric setting and continuing to increase tension in the storyline - making it almost impossible to put down. But there is just something about how he executes the final pieces of the story that left me wanting.

Then, I was left in complete confusion on several occasions because I had no idea what was happening or what the characters were talking about, and maybe that's why the ending left me wanting. But either way, The Chamber was just not for me.

I will give the author another chance as there is potential there.

This unique plot had me hooked from the beginning. I will say the second half dragged a bit but the ending made up for it. The concept was so fascinating to me and I thought this book was another Will Dean hit!

After reading and enjoying "The Last One" I knew that I needed to pick this one up and overall, I wasn't disappointed. I’m sure I’ll keep picking up this author’s books in the future, because his unique settings and initial plots are intriguing enough to give a try, but this one definitely was not as much of a favorite as The Last One was.

This one didn’t work for me at all and was a disappointment as I’m a huge fan of the author. I made it over halfway but the technical talk about diving was too dense and drawn out. I’m used to fast paced and incredibly engaging from the author and this wasn’t that for me.

This was a five star read for me up until I got to the end and the resolution was kind of vague. I like a finite conclusion with my thrillers, BUT this was so well written and still so good, that I’m settling at 4.5.

Also my fear of deep water grew exponentially reading this and I think I’m more claustrophobic now. I could NEVER do what these people do. Aquanauts deserve more hype! The story exceled at making you feel like you were trapped in the chamber along with the crew. The constant reminder of how small the square footage was, the lack of real oxygen, and how the only escape was the constant pressure of the sea floor— it created a really good image of just how trapped they were. Also when they start dying off one by one, and you’re trapped in what’s basically the size of an SUV with a potential killer. You just want to escape but opening any escape hatch would turn you to literal jelly. The pressure cannot be changed that quick so they have to endure the slow rise up to surface while slowly dying off.
As the list of potential suspects dies down (literally), even when you get to the last 3, you don’t really know who the killer is. And I think it’s because maybe the author doesn’t really know either, which makes it even more of a mindblowing whodunnit. It was such a great lead up and that’s why I think the ambiguous ending left me like AHHH.

Thank you Atria Books for the amazing read!