Lenny Marks has her life neatly filed away, filling her days with calculated tasks. Each day is expected and she knows exactly what she needs to do. When a letter from the parole board announces the upcoming release of an inmate, Lenny's life will start to spiral. She will have to change her ways in order to survive her long buried past.

I think I'm going to be in the minority here. Lenny is a structured character who has to learn to let loose and depend on others. However, the story is very driven by her change. The plot moved slow. I also think this fits more into general fiction, I was anticipating more thriller vibes. I wish we could have had more action along the way instead of just the last 20% of the book. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because this book surprised me in a positive way.

Lenny Marks likes to keep to a good routine. She likes order, she likes rules, she likes to know what to expect and of course she likes the TV show friends. What Lenny doesn’t like, or rather doesn’t acknowledge are those funny things called memories. You know the ones from childhood that like to sneak up on you and remind you of all the horrible, terrifying things that happened… Lenny’s perfectly contained life comes bursting apart when a letter from the parole board winds up in her hands and the past will no longer be ignored.

I was positively surprised by this book. For some reason I expected it to be something silly (perhaps from the title) but it had so much depth. The author does a great job of putting you inside Lenny’s head helping to understand how she is viewing the world. It’s heartbreaking, especially as someone who has worked with many survivors of childhood trauma, to read a story like this and see how it could affect someone as an adult, even in a fictional story. The title is a little misleading because the murder is a minor part of the overall story but I can forgive that because the rest of
It was enjoyable.

This book definitely took a little while for me to get into. I started and stopped a few times. Once it hits its stride though, I sped through to the end. Lenny was likable and I have a soft spot for neurodiverse characters. It was a solid read, but I'm not sure I would run out a recommend it to everyone. For me, it was right book, right time.

Lenny Marks is a 37-year-old woman, set in her routines. She survived being abandoned by her mother and stepfather, living first with her grandmother and then a foster family. But all is not as she recalls about her past, in order to cope with the trauma involved. As the book moves forward, Lenny remembers more and more from her past, and works her way through the memories and trauma.
This book is more a late bloomer coming of age story than a true mystery, but the payoff was worthwhile as there is a 3rd act conflict that Lenny resolved beautifully.
At first glance, this might seem like a light read, but the trauma and issues that Lenny is dealing with lent real substance to this book. In the end, it was a heartwarming and engaging book that I devoured fairly quickly. Despite is being a debut, it felt well written and developed.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

This is one of those books where the cover didn't do the story justice. This story dealt with real issues, had major depth and incredible character development!

This protagonist has soooo much to unpack about her childhood and her current situation. She has everything planned out, she has a routine.
Disruption comes in the form of a letter and Lenny's life completely changes.

I loved this story and Lenny even more! She's an odd one for sure. A single elementary school teacher who is socially awkward and who's best friend is Monica from the tv show Friends. She's had some tragedy in her childhood that has made it harder for her to make friends and be emotionally available to almost everyone. This story is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Kerry Mayne does a fantastic job of making Lenny's character come alive in this book, and I couldn't help but cheer for her and want to hug her at the same time! And being a mystery/thriller reader, there was just enough of both to keep me glued to the pages. Bravo!!

Loved this! Lenny Marks is an odd duck, a middle aged, single school teacher, she's well aware of her own awkward social skills. Slowly, as the reader gets to know Lenny's personality, her life story reveals more and more reasons for her odd behavior.. Heartbreaking details are revealed slowly with each page and chapter, and lead to a great resolution and final development for her.

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder by Kerryn Mayne is a wonderful story, getting into the life of Lenny Marks, who has shut out so many things from her childhood for very good reasons. A loner, she is drawn into the outside world, makes friends and is forced to look at a life she hid away in her mind, but will she survive it? I loved this book! Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

DNF

This one draggeddddd. I wanted to like Lenny, but she felt mostly robotic. Kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, but this one took too long to get there.

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder tells the story of Lenny, who likes things in her own particular order with no disruptions in life. She loves her home she affectionally refers to as the tree house, her primary school teaching position, her isolation with the exception of her Friends marathon she plays every day on her television, her imaginary friendship with Monica from Friends, and her Saturday night delivery of Thai from the same driver. With things being predictable, she does not have to think of her childhood trauma and what she has blocked out regarding stepfather until she receives a letter of his upcoming parole. This knocks her off of her routine and things begin to unravel.
What did Lenny block from her memory? Will she let those in her life help her navigate what is happening and let them in?
This story gave me all of the emotions and I could not wait to get back to reading it. Readers will instantly fall in love with Lenny and will root for her while yelling at some of her decisions throughout the story. The biggest lesson is learning to let others love you, especially when you have trouble loving yourself. This was a 5*read. Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the E-Arc and the chance to review it!

I enjoyed this story. It was surprisingly emotional, a little suspenseful, and heartwarming. I liked that it is set in Australia and that Lenny's backstory is told in succinct snippets. I would read more from this author.

If you're looking for a read where you fall in love with the character for being so bold and original and unique, then Lenny Marks is it! She is a character you won't easily forget. It becomes apparent that Lenny has suffered from something traumatic in her childhood and when she receives a letter from the parole board, it causes her to spiral. Funny in parts, sad in others, this book is quite an emotional rollercoaster.

A great read that I highly recommend!

This book had a bit of everything in just the right amount. What a great debut!

Went in thinking this might be purely a murder mystery but it is so much more than that. There is love, loss, humor, kindness - you name it!

The characters are relatable and consistent, throughout. The writing had a smooth flow.

P. S. if I thought I would relate with the pop culture references, I was not prepared to have the biggest moment of going “exactly, right!!?!” on reading the line about how many times can someone use the word ‘Vestibule’ in a book. 😂

A wonderful read overall !

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I found this piece to be exceptionally well-crafted, and I'm eagerly anticipating the opportunity to delve into more works by this author. Given its potential popularity among our library patrons, we're certainly looking forward to adding it to our collection

If you liked "The Maid" or "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine" Kerryn Mayne's debut "Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder" is for you! Lenny is a primary school teacher who up until recently enjoyed her private life and routine. When Lenny receives an unexpected letter from the Adult Parole Board Victoria, her life begins to spin out of her control and Lenny learns it's okay to go out of your comfort zone.

I was rooting for Lenny from the get with this one. The book does start out a little slow, but the pace matches how Lenny likes to live her life when we meet her. All of the characters and plot lines were fully developed and the end was satisfying and even happy. I would highly recommend this read to anyone, especially if you like complex characters and a hint of murder.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Kerryn Mayne for this ARC. I hope we see more from Kerryne and maybe even Lenny in the future!

Lenny Marks likes an ordered life built on routine and schedules. When the unexpected happens, Lenny does all she can to keep the chaos at bay - but sometimes life is simply out of your control. While Lenny's history unfolds, not only do we accompany her om her daily routine we meet a wide cast of side characters who will both support and challenge her. Readers will really enjoy getting to know Lenny, an unforgettable protagonist, in this heartfelt and sometimes heartbreaking novel.

Wow! What a twist near the end - I did not see that coming. Although I probably should have. Lenny was delightful, even as she desperately needed counseling and therapy. She controlled her world down to every minute and action as a way to survive trauma, which is completely understandable. But news from her past started to shake up her life and she found support and friends in unlikely places. If you liked Eleanor Oliphant, give Lenny a try. Also, it’s set in Australia!
4.5 stars rounded up to 5
Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Such a fun book- if you enjoyed Nita Prose’s “the maid”, or Gail honeyman’s “Elinor oliphant is completely fine” and the prose of fredrik backman - you’re sure to enjoy following the story of lenny marks!

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book was, unexpectedly, the complete opposite of what I thought it was going to be. The list of trigger warnings alone would have deterred me, as they may some of you. HOWEVER, this book was incredibly well written. Lenny Marks was a very well thought out character and the author did an excellent job of keeping her integrity, and spunk, alive through some very hard to read scenes. I am quite fond of Lenny - as much as one can be about a literary character anyways.

If you judge this book on the title, cover, and/or trigger warnings alone you won’t be doing the book a service. There are some extremely sad and truly heartbreaking scenes in this book. I wouldn’t recommend it to every reader but I do think this book will find its niche.

Overall I really enjoyed the writing itself! The ending wrapped up a little fast for my personal taste but that’s one of those preference things!

TW’s include but aren’t limited to:
Domestic violence
Death of a child
Child abuse
Animal cruelty/abuse
Attempted suicide
Mental illness

*If you’re looking to read this and have any questions on the trigger warnings, feel free to reach out!