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.

#TheChamber #WillDean #AtriaBooks #NetGalley #ARC #advancedreader #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

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?

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.