Lenny Marks would love to have friends or thinks she should love to have friends, but that is, for her, easier said than done. A teacher whose horrific childhood in an abusive home comes to us in bits and pieces, seems to be fine with her solitary life outside the classroom. But when a letter comes from the parole board she begins to self-destruct as she is forced to resurrect a long-suppressed memory of why her stepfather was in prison.
This debut author has done a bang-up job with her first novel, and I will absolutely look forward to her next.

I absolutely adored this book. The title and cover make it seem much more cozy mystery-esque than it actually is. There is a lot of substance and several dark themes in this book, but it still manages to be funny and uplifting in so many ways. Lenny grabbed my heart immediately and I found myself rooting for her so much throughout the story. I also loved the last ~20% of the book and found it unexpected despite the title making perfect sense. Highly recommend!!

This was one of the most original books I’ve ever read. Lenny does not have anything close to a warm personality, but it’s hard not to like her from the beginning. Her unfaltering routine and collection of 36 copies of The Hobbit suggest a need for order. Lenny prefers a solitary existence and limits her interactions with her colleagues.

But when she gets the letter from the parole board, everything changes.

Obviously I’m not going to tell you what happened to Lenny in her past, but I will say that I appreciated the way the backstory unfolded gradually. It’s clear that SOMETHING major happened, but the reader is kept guessing for most of the narrative, mostly because Lenny is an unreliable narrator. She is not intentionally deceptive, but the reason for the memory lapse is related to her own confusion about the past.

The letter from the parole board serves as the catalyst not only for Lenny having to confront her past, but also for major changes to Lenny’s life. These changes occur concurrently with the letter, but are not necessarily actively the result of the letter, mostly because Lenny is trying very hard to avoid even thinking about the letter.

I don’t want to imply that there’s anything wrong with Lenny’s routine, especially since it was created out of a need to protect herself and avoid unknown variables. However, as Lenny deviates from her routine, her world opens up to surprising and unexpected possibilities, and not all of them are unpleasant.

I would absolutely recommend Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder. This is a stunning debut and I hope this is only the beginning of a long writing career for Mayne. I would love to see this book made into a limited series on a streaming service!






I received a digital ARC of this book from St. Martin’s/NetGalley

This book kept me going even though it was a bit of a slow burn, and I was too intrigued to know how it will end, Lenny was such a puzzle and I needed to get through even though the slow burn was what made it a little difficult for me to really like. We get to see why Lenny became who she was, what she went through, which was so sad. She has imaginary friends as a kid and somehow they come around when she’s an adult. The secrets revealed about her past come to light and she has to face everything from her past, I love how she changed my mind about her at the end, because she is so bad ass.

Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Reminiscent of Graeme Simsion’s Professor Don Tillman and Nita Prose’s Molly the Maid, both on the autism spectrum, Kerryn Mayne’s Lenny Marks will capture readers’ hearts with her difficulty reading body language, her social awkwardness, her meticulous planning, her dozens of copies of The Hobbit, and her obsessions with the TV series Friends and Scrabble. Certainly, Lenny will also evoke laughter, but at its core, Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder tackles much more serious social issues, most importantly domestic violence. This may be due in part to the author’s current career as police officer in suburban Melbourne, Australia.

The story opens on Monday morning, May 16, 2022, as 37-year-old Lenny Marks prepares to begin another week teaching fifth grade at Selby South Primary School outside Melbourne. Well prepared fr class as always, she is caught off guard by the school’s snoopy office administrator delivering a mysterious letter from the Parole Board to Helena Winters--a name Lenny thought she had left behind decades ago. Although Lennie has tried to forget Fergus Sullivan, the stepfather she hasn’t seen for more than twenty years, she refuses to open the letter or to say anything to the meddling Mrs. Finlay about what Lenny knows the letter must concern.

Lenny’s life moves forward as she tries to follow her foster mother Fay’s advice to make friends, but her story occasionally moves backward as the author fills in child Helena Winters’ past, years filled with memories that haunt Lenny’s present. Dates are clearly indicated..

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder will keep readers turning the pages as they gradually come to understand what made Helena Winters into Lenny Marks, why Lenny named her stolen dog Malcolm, what that hard object is inside her one-eyed Teddy bear, which friends are imaginary and which are real, and how Lenny finally builds up the courage to accept hugs and “get a life.”

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance reader egalley of Kerryn Mayne’s captivating new novel.
4,5 out of 5

I think this might be my favorite book of 2024 so far. Like many others, I was expecting a comedic murder-mystery type read but was instead surprised by this novel full of emotion, intrigue, and neuro-spicy dialogue.
While Lenny herself is full of quirky habits, the story itself is not quirky. You quickly learn that there is more to Lenny's story than meets the eye, much of which Lenny has forgotten or blocked out from her memory. This book was so much more emotional and full of trauma than I was expecting, but was equal parts heart-breaking as it was heart-warming.

LENNY MARKS GETS AWAY WITH MURDER by Kerryn Mayne is an engrossing and memorable story of buried secrets and lost and found family with a quirky main character I was rooting for from beginning to end. Thirty-seven-year-old Lenny Marks (formerly Helena Winters), is a school teacher who relies on strict routines to navigate her mostly solitary world. She bikes home from work at precisely the same time every day and eats the exact same meals every week. She passes the time playing Scrabble against an imaginary Monica Gellar from Friends, while endlessly watching reruns of her favorite show. Her attempts to interact with colleagues and acquaintances meet a dismal end. Up to now, Lenny has successfully buried her past, but that changes when she receives a letter from the parole board about her step-father. Slowly, memories from the past begin to emerge and Lenny is forced out of her comfort zone and is surprised to find people who actually want to help her. Will Lenny be able to overcome the trauma and loss of the past? This story is both heart-breaking and heart-warming and deals with some difficult topics with honesty and compassion. I enjoyed this compelling book and I thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

What a fantastic debut novel!
After suffering significant childhood trauma, 37-year-old Lenny Marks has learned to cope with life by sticking to routine and keeping to herself, but when she receives a letter from the adult parole board asking if she wishes to write a victim impact statement, Lenny can't ignore her past any longer. I don't want to give too much away as I think this book is best enjoyed without knowing too much about it beforehand. It is full of wonderful, quirky characters, and it was a pleasure to watch Lenny grow and bloom despite her awkwardness and troubled history. The book is well written and the mystery components were well plotted, with clues to the truth of Lenny's past slowly revealed (with surprises along the way).

Not a horrible book but I'm afraid everyone is going to over do the whole Eleanor Oliphant thing.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

"Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder" is a compelling and entertaining read that blends dark humor, suspenseful intrigue, and insightful character portrayal. Kerryn Mayne's adept storytelling and memorable characters make this book a standout in the mystery genre, appealing to readers who enjoy a mix of wit, suspense, and moral complexity.

The title and cover mislead the reader into thinking this is going to be a quirky cozy type of campy story. It isn't. It is much more serious than that. Still really good and a great read, but go into it knowing that while you have a main character that is outside of what we consider "the norm" this isn't one of those books. Lenny is adorable, self-protecting, and needs a good friend. She struggles with relationships and misses her mom. Her instincts are off kilter. As the story progresses, the reader learns more about Lenny's past and what has brought her to her present circumstances. While I truly enjoyed this read, it wasn't what I thought I was getting when I started out. But that doesn't keep the reader from cheering for Lenny!

What a fantastic surprise getting to know Lenny Marks was! This is an incredibly well written debut novel from Kerryn Mayne with a character reminiscent of two of my favorites (Eleanor Oliphant and Molly the maid). The cover and "vibe" of this book is deceptive from the reality but in the best way, for my senses. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and encourage others not to be misled into thinking this is a "cozy" mystery or a thriller. It's a great read with a great lead character!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication!

This book came recommended by another Aussie author and I was so excited to read this highly anticipated book. Sadly, I didnt love it. There was a lot of lingo that is exclusive to Australians, which made it a little confusing at times. I also found it to be repetitive. Overall, I think other people will like this book, but it's just not my cup of tea.

Lenny Marks has mastered the art of forgetting. For the past twenty years, she has successfully avoided thinking about the day her mother abandoned her, though her stepfather's haunting words, "You did this," still linger. Now 37, Lenny clings to comfort and routine and order, steering clear of the messiness and chaos of happiness and relationships. A teacher at a local primary school, Lenny spends her evenings playing Scrabble with an imaginary roommate, comfort-watching Friends reruns, and rearranging her 36 copies of The Hobbit. Lenny’s recent goal to 'get a life' aims more at establishing a good enough façade to please her foster mom rather than actually extending herself beyond what is familiar. But when an unexpected letter from the Adult Parole Board arrives, her carefully constructed world begins to crumble, forcing her to confront long-buried memories.

Lenny is a delightful character — one of those quirky oddballs who easily charms the reader. Mayne has written a heartwarming story that is a balance of endearing moments in Lenny’s everyday life and stark flashbacks as she begins recalling her repressed past. Mayne delivers her main character with depth and heart, as well as rounding out the book with a solid set of secondary and tertiary characters who add that level of playful realism without ever pushing the believability too far. I’d love to see what’s next for this Australian author.

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder is quite unlike anything I’ve read recently other than maybe The Maid. A late-thirties woman with a traumatic past is living her life as small and quietly as possible, not realizing that everything she worked to keep in the past and contained is about to come to life. As a child, her mother disappeared, and her stepfather ended up in prison. But she has little memory of this. She was bounced around between her grandmother’s home and later a foster family who adopted her. She’s since changed her name and taken much care to leave herself unfindable. When a letter from her stepfather arrives at the school she teaches at, she begins to panic and all her carefully constructed barriers to the real world and her past begin to crumble. As she begins to lose her firm grip on her tightly controlled life, she slowly realizes that she can allow people in and open herself up, and show them the real her. But first she needs to come to terms with her past and what really happened, and deal with the consequences of it all these years later. Part coming-of-age (even later in life) and part mystery (what did happen all those years ago), this unique novel started out slowly and continues to build the tension until the end.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder by Kerryn Mayne
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 343 / Genre: Fiction
Release Date: Tomorrow! July 9, 2024

Lenny Marks lives a quiet, repetitive, lonely life. But she’s determined to break out of her shell and finally get a life, as her foster mother has been encouraging her to do for ages. She’s on a mission to make friends with the girls at work and do things outside of the solitary bubble she’s created around herself. But there’s a lot more to Lenny than just a shy woman on the spectrum. She has some real trauma in her life and memories she’s buried so deep down that she doesn’t even remember them any more. But when a letter arrives announcing the impending release from jail of her stepfather unless she comes forth and speaks against the decision, the floodgates start leaking and her past and present finally collide.

I really enjoyed this book. Lenny’s lack of social skills coupled with her good intentions add humor to her personality quirks and the real trauma of her childhood adds drama and intrigue to the story.

Thank you, @NetGalley, @Macmillan.Audio, @StMartinsPress, and KerrynMayneAuthor for my gifted copies of this book. I loved it.

Synopsis: Lenny Marks lives a quiet, routine life, but, when she gets a letter from the parole board about her stepfather’s release from prison, her life is upended as memories from her past come back to haunt her.

Thoughts: The title screams thriller and the cover screams cozy mystery, but this book is neither of those things. Not in a bad way - I really enjoyed this book and think it is a fantastic debut - but maybe not marketed quite accurately. Anyway, Lenny is a super endearing neurodivergent character, and I want to give her a hug and be her friend! This book is her story of healing from past trauma and finding joy in her life with her community. While there are quirky and humorous aspects, the subject matter is quite heavy at times so I recommend checking out the content warnings.

Read this if you like:
🚲 quirky characters
🚲 found family
🚲 healing from trauma
🚲 slow burn
🚲 character driven

Like Great Gatsby: SLOW Start, Explosive Ending, *NOT* Neurodivergent. I tell the story often of my experience with The Great Gatbsy. Back in sophomore year of HS, it was actually assigned as summer reading before the school year. I didn't read it. Every time I tried to open it, the first chapters were just SO UTTERLY BORING that I literally couldn't keep my eyes open. Managed to bullshit through the discussion of it during my International Baccalaureate level English class that fall. Switched to a school without an IB program in Spring Semester, where now I had one of those old school even then (late 90s) slap-the-knuckles-with-a-ruler type English teachers. This lady *forced* me to read the book via making it a point to call on me to read out loud during class. She knew I HATED it, I wasn't subtle about my disdain at all, and I had a superiority complex at this new school to boot.

But god DAMN if she didn't wind up getting me through those first boring chapters, where the tale then woke up and became truly one of the great American books, particularly of its period and truly quite possibly ever.

I tell that story here because it directly applies to this book. This book is S L O W at first and utterly, completely, mind bogglingly BORING. There simply is no way around that. Even at 20% in, I was commenting on social media (without naming that I was reading this book) that it was horrible.

And then...

And then you get to the point - roughly halfway in - where you find out WHY the front half was so utterly boring.

And like Gatsby, this point turns the novel on its head and makes it a truly great book. No, it still isn't Gatbsy's level, but this is where it is going to make you *feel*. It is going to make the room so dusty you'll be verifying that the walls around you haven't suddenly collapsed, because you're going to be crying so hard during some of this next section that you're going to be snotting all over the place and finding it very difficult to breathe. Mayne manages to utterly bore your mind before absolutely DESTROYING your heart worse than a direct hit from a G2 Research RIP round would.

This back half is truly what makes the book, so fight through the boredom of the front half - it really does get so very much better.

Oh, and the neurodivergent thing; A lot of reviewers (I'm somewhere right around the 1,000th review on at least one review site) have mentioned that this book features a neurodivergent protagonist. It does not. The words "neurodivergent", "spectrum", "Autism", or even "Asberger's" are nowhere in the text of this tale, and while the front part of the book in particular (and to a slightly lesser extent the back part as well) characterize our protagonist as *stereotypically* neurodivergent, just because someone acts according to a stereotype does not mean they actually *are* whatever the stereotype is supposed to be of. Indeed, we actually get an explanation in that back half of the book that is *not* any form of actual neurodivergence so much as ... something else that is directly explained and explored (part of what makes the heart shatter so much), but which would be a spoiler to reveal here.

Overall truly a tale of two halves as far as the reader experience goes, but absolutely one you should read.

Very much recommended.

I absolutely loved Lenny Marks! Awkward, isolated, possibly neuro divergent. Struggling, trying, stumbling. She may not be for everyone, but she has so much heart!

When a letter regarding the parole hearing of her step father shows up at her work (Lenny doesn't want anyone knowing her home address) she struggles to ignore it. With it come a rush of repressed memories and feelings too strong for her to handle. She wants to keep the past locked away as she has for the last 25 years, but it's fighting to be heard.

Meanwhile, Lenny has decided it's time that she made friends. There's Ned, who she talks with at her twice weekly routine trips to the market. Her neighbor she avoids even as she tends to her garden. The two new cool prep teachers she's trying to get in with. And the rest of her colleagues that she knows the routine and habits of inside the staff room. A trivia night leads to her seeing some of these people in a new light, and slowly as her younger self confronts her current self, she struggles to keep people in their proper places.

Along the way with a stolen dog, Lenny's memories build inside her until she can't ignore them any longer. Until the truth needs to be heard and she falls under the weight of it. How can she recover, when her very structure is altered.

This incredibly moving book and the unassuming woman it centers on is just what I needed. Someone who will stick with me for a long time, I'm so glad to have met Lenny, and hope even more people will get the chance to get to know her too!

I went into this mostly blind and I ended up very surprised with how much I liked it.
First of all I loved our FMC Lenny, she was so different and it was incredibly interesting being inside her head. I also liked the other characters and feel they really helped add to the story.
The story line ended up being very twisty and had a lot of unexpected secrets hidden deep down. I felt like a true detective trying to uncover everything that lurked under the surface.
This book definitely had me on the edge of my seat and I found myself turning the pages very quickly.
I think this book was very well written, even the small every day details that were given had me hanging on every word.
I feel like this is truly a perfect cozy mystery/thriller and I really enjoyed it!
Thank you NetGalley for my arc copy, my opinions are my own.