Voyage of the Pleiades

by Amy Marie Turner

London 1885. Linnea Wren has spent her life defying Victorian societal norms, from masquerading as a male groundskeeper at Kew Gardens, to an expedition leader traveling the world. After a devastating and traumatic shipwreck nearly robs her of life and career, Linnea is offered the opportunity to travel to South America and re-establish herself as a naturalist. 

 

Her journey to Chile is far from smooth sailing, especially when her colleague Matias Ward joins the expedition and scrambles her plans. Matias is intelligent, attractive, and hiding something-which only comes to light when a man dies in a grisly ritual murder aboard the ship. Linnea and Matias are charged with investigating the murder, but the culprit remains elusive. Their arrival on Chiloé Island brings a temporary respite to pursue their natural history studies and their burgeoning relationship, but the threats and the murderer have followed. After the killing of another innocent person, it is apparent that their lives and those of Matias's family are at risk. Will Linnea and Matias identify the murderer before one of them becomes the next victim?

 

Set on the high seas and the magical island of Chiloé, THE VOYAGE OF THE PLEIADES follows Linnea as she forges a career path outside the expectations of women in the 19th-century while navigating a relationship with a colleague that is overshadowed by the ever-present threats from a murderer.

373 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 6, 2023

About the author

Amy lives where the high desert is shadowed by the soaring peaks of the Sawatch Range, also known as Salida, Colorado. She is a third generation Coloradan who returned to the mountains after more than twenty years of living in an off-grid, waterless cabin in Alaska. Aside for a penchant for living places where nature is trying to kill you, Amy is a recovering environmental consultant who now appreciates plants while hiking or riding her bike. She is editing A Garden of Shadows, the second book in the series, as well as working on other creative projects that explore our sense of place and identity. You can contact her at her website: amymarieturner.com.

Reviews

[Jill Salahub · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I know the author. This is why I both bought the book as soon as it was released AND didn't read it right away. I have lots of friends who are writers and it can be nerve wracking to read their work because what if it isn't good? (Which really just means "what if I don't like it?") What will I say to them about it? I knew that Amy was writing this book, had read her emails and posts about it, but I'd never read anything she'd written long form.

I had NOTHING to worry about. I LOVED this book! Well researched historical fiction and a carefully constructed narrative, world, and characters that you couldn't stop reading because you needed to know what happened, wanted the best for the characters because you grew to love them through their story. AND a murder mystery?! AND she's working on a sequel?! Yes!

[Sadie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amy Marie Turner’s Voyage of the Pleiades is a hybrid novel combining Romance, Historical Fiction and Murder Mystery genres. The author comes to her material with an academic background as a biologist and anthropologist and her story is well researched and infused with rich language, a wealth of detail, and a modern feminist sensibility. Turner’s heroine, the beautiful, solitary Linnea Wren, is a naturalist in the late 1800’s whose adventures take her from London’s Chelsea Physic Garden (London’s oldest botanical garden which you can visit virtually here https://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk...) to the exotic island of Chiloé, off the southern coast of Chile. Linnea’s love for plant life is infectious and sent me more than once to look up the specimens she finds and their locations. I would have been happy to learn more about the scientific milieu of the time, her partnership with a family friend, Lord Hugh Martin, and how their research in the Southern Hemisphere was bringing her closer to, “following in the footsteps of Darwin.” Linnea’s struggle to find equilibrium in her work/life balance creates a compelling narrative that propelled me from start to finish. Her sexy love interest, the naturalist Matias Ward, also brings a personal mystery to the story and Turner has done a masterful job in weaving these personal dramas together with the murder that they team up to solve. While I would not call this a bodice ripper, readers can look forward to an extended seduction and will be pleasantly surprised to find Turner’s heroine to be an assertive participant—she is no wilting wallflower. I look forward to the next installment of the adventures of Linnea, and hope that Amy Marie Turner @amystery.writer will explore more of her heroine’s rich back story in her forthcoming sequel. Thanks to @fauve_press for the advanced copy of this book.

[Ben Goldfarb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a blast! A historic adventure novel that has a little bit of everything — swashbuckling maritime voyages, mysterious murders most foul, and a badass female naturalist in the Humboldtian tradition who just wants to collect her plants, dammit. Oh yeah, and there's plenty of great sex. "Pleiades" might be the start of a new genre, erotic botany... maybe we can call it #hotany?

[Ramona Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent tale (told in the first person) in a unique plotline. The typesetting was a bit off with wandering/missing commas, etc. (could be an ebook problem), but not too distracting. I am looking forward to the next in the series.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking forward to the sequel!

[Jackie Pick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is why I like that 'unputdownable' is a word.

Looking for a great summer read? This novel delivers in all categories: Intrigue! Adventure! Shipwrecks! Botany! Romance! (And, uh, STEAM.)

Voyage of the Pleiades is a beautifully paced narrative that traverses genres. Turner demonstrates a knack for language, particularly in her dialogue. Linnea, our hero, is a character we can cheer for — the type of woman with scraped knees and timeless desires that often place her at odds with society, attracting a diverse range of characters, both savory and unsavory.

Turner's background in biology and anthropology is skillfully interwoven into the story, giving the tale authenticity and depth.

While all stories embody a journey to some extent, this one is an expedition!

Grab your favorite reading light, get comfortable, and enjoy every page turn.

Kudos to Amy Turner for a fantastic debut novel. Eagerly awaiting your future works!

[Fauve Press · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every word. What a fabulous main character. She’s smart, complex, witty and adventurous. It has everything…intrigue, murder, mystery and pulse pounding romance. I mean…can’t be beat. Holding my breath for the next one!