Meet Lenny Marks, a character who's bound to capture your heart and linger in your thoughts long after you've turned the last page. With her humor and tears, Lenny's big-hearted yet widely misunderstood nature is something truly special. At 37, she's a primary school teacher with a love for "The Hobbit" and "Friends," and a past shadowed by an unhappy childhood she's largely repressed. It was only in foster care that she found happiness. Now, urged by her foster mother to "get a life" and forge connections, Lenny makes earnest, albeit awkward, attempts to socialize. But just as she's navigating these choppy waters, a letter from the parole board sends her life into a tailspin.

Following Lenny's journey is a deeply moving experience. Her blunt honesty and contentment in solitude, set against the backdrop of her struggles and resilience, paint a portrait of a uniquely endearing character. This book invites you into Lenny's world—one of sorrow, survival, and the subtle joys of life. Dive in to fully grasp the essence of her story.

What a great mystery! It sort of reminds me of the Molly Maid series on the characters are completely different and she's not a maid! It did however make me smile! I highly recommend it!

Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder is not what I was expecting based on the title. The first half seemed to just drag on as Lenny struggles with her personal demons. The last half gets more interesting and kept me engaged in reading it. Overall book seemed too long. Lenny is an interesting character but is she real or faking her way through life? I really wanted to cheer for her and see her succeed but she made so many poor decisions that it was difficult for me to relate.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Much like Eleanor Oliphant, Lenny Marks is much more damaged and tragic and much less “quirky” than the cover would lead you to believe. Mayne sets the stage slowly, as befitting her protagonist, but the story really opens up as Lenny’s mind does. While I was committed enough at that point to finish, I do wish there had more warning than “equal parts heartbreaking” in the description when it came to the past trauma in Lenny’s life.

Altogether, this was a fairly satistlfying read, if hard to describe. I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions my own.

I loved this book and gave it 5 stars! This story just grabs you and you just become very invested in discovering what are the driving forces for Lenny. I wanted to know what happened to her when she was a child and how those events impact as an adult. This is just a truly gripping story I will never forget.

Thank you NetGalley for opportunity to read and review this book. All options are my own.

Wow. Just wow. This book was one that I just could not put down after about 20-30 pages in. The odd thing is that I almost put this book into ,my DNF category. I am so glad that I hung in. The main character, Lenny, has suffered a tragedy early in her life and we find her in her late 30s working as an elementary school teacher, extremely awkward and wishing to socially isolate as much as possible. Throughout the book, we root for Lenny while trying to figure out what exactly happened to her all those years before. I do not want to give away a bit of the ending. It is a marvelous novel and I think many will enjoy it. The reason I almost did not finish it was because in her socially discomfort, Lenny does a word exercise whenever she is uncomfortable. I found that extremely annoying and did not think that I would be able to get through the book. Thankfully it lessened significantly and I was able to dive in.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest review. I highly recommend this book. It is an excellent book club book because it makes you want to run out and discuss it with others.

Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder is a wildly charming book. Lenny is a teacher whose traumatic history has left her with quirky ways of dealing with the world. Readers will find themselves rooting for Lenny. I loved her character and the people around her who love and support her, even when she struggles to recognize them. While the title implies that Lenny must be a devious person, instead readers will empathize and understand the choices she makes. This book was a feel-good read, leaving me with the sense that justice will be served and kindness is rewarded.

This is a tough one. I want to like it and know I’m the person this book is intended for. My problem is that it is far too similar to Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. I stopped reading because it wasn’t new enough for me. Haven’t read Eleanor Oliphant? I bet you love this book.

This was an interesting book. Very different characters, yet good character development. A bit of a mystery that kept you unsure till the end. Would recommend as an easy, fun read. This was an interesting book. Very different characters, yet good character development. A bit of a mystery that kept you unsure till the end. Would recommend as an easy, fun read. That you NetGalley for letting me read this prerelease book for an honest review.

I really liked this book. The main character was a delight. I liked the way the story was built. Some things were predictable but not everything and it was really great to watch Lenny grow in confidence as she recalled her past and dealt with it. So great to see someone who may not be like everyone else still be able to have such a great support network around them.

I loved this book! This is a perfectly paced book that made us understand and sympathize with Lenny.

Don’t let the title fool you, this is not your average murder mystery. Nor is this a lighthearted thriller. Instead, the story of Lenny Marks, born Helena Winters, is in fact fairly heavy stuff. We meet Lenny as a reclusive schoolteacher in her mid-30s trying to navigate the social dynamics of work colleagues and regular acquaintances. Her odd behavior, refusing to let anyone into her home, binge watching the television show Friends (with a tendancy to refer to the fictional character of Monica as her roommate), and having all her mail sent to the school so that no one knows where she lives, paint the picture of a social misfit with debilitating anxieties. We learn early on that she most likely suffers from trauma, when a letter is delivered to her at school letting her know that her stepfather is due to be released from prison and the parole board would like a victim statement from her.

Lenny refuses to make a statement, but the letter, nonetheless, sets her on her own adventure of sorts toward moving out of her self-imposed isolation and ultimately healing from the trauma which is revealed slowly until a shocking crisis forces Lenny to face her past and determine her future.

Mayne’s Lenny is well-developed and interesting for a person suffering from trauma. Lenny is fun and quirky, in her way. The story is engaging and the pace kept me reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an advance review copy.

I felt like the title/cover made it seem like this was going to be a different type of book.
This was a slow start and at the end, it picked up the pace and was a page-turner.

Lenny Marks has had a lot of trauma in her life that she has suppressed. She started to remember things that happened in the past when her stepfather was up for parole.

Lenny likes structure in her life and then things start to spiral out of control.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story was much darker than I expected from the cover and the description! There was no humor outside of Lenny's quirks, and as the mystery of her past unfolds, it gets pretty disturbing. I did love Lenny's character and the few good people she had in her life though.

I think we all need to agree to protect Lenny Marks at all costs. I love a thriller, so any book with murder in the title is one I'm likely to grab, but this story was different in a bunch of really great ways. I loved Lenny and the way she interacts with the world, and while her choices and behavior were a little frustrating at times, Mayne builds her character in a way that you accept that, and welcome her small steps out of her comfort zone. This is such a smart, well-written story, that I keep needing to go back to read more of because I needed to know that Lenny would be ok. That's a sign of a fantastic book for me!

I loved everything about Lenny Marks! I worried for her, cheered for her and grieved for her. She thinks she has her life together, but as her emotions and memories begin to unravel, it’s obvious that she does not.

Well done, Kerryn Mayne—the Hobbit books, Scrabble games and TV episodes of Friends were clever, and woven into the story perfectly as Lenny’s personality and insecurities were revealed.

Great supporting cast, too—Fay, Ned, Maureen and Malcom were wonderful.

Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy to read and review. Overall I enjoyed this book. It was a slow start but once I got engaged in the story it picked up. I really felt for the main character Lenny who faces challenges in life and with interpersonal relationships largely due to trauma from her childhood. I was routing for her to overcome obstacles and live a happy life. I especially liked Ned, Kyria and Maureen. It was interesting how she named her dog after her deceased brother Malcolm. The book weaves young Helena’s life with Lenny’s current life. The author’s police background is clearly evident in her storytelling. The story gradually unfolds and the pieces come together and it makes sense. I wanted to keep reading to fully understand everything that Lenny had experienced and why she is the way she is. No one should have suffered like her. The book is even more pertinent today with the greater focus on mental health. I strongly recommend this book.

This was a fun and interesting read although it isn’t like what the title makes you think it will be about. Did that make sense?

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

I think my only issue with this book is that title--which kind of sets you up for an entirely different book (one about murder), when it's more a book about a woman recovering from trauma. Other than that, it's altogether lovely.

Lenny Marks is a great, memorable character (reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant), a former foster kid and current school teacher with not great communication skills and no social life whatsoever (she mostly watches Friends and plays scrabble against herself. )

The book opens with Lenny receiving a letter from the parole board about a man from her past and the rest of the story unfolds as we learn more about this man, his role in her life, and the history that has brought her to this place where she is living as small and safe of a life as possible.

The letter forces Lenny to make some big changes and these are delightful to watch, like socializing with co-workers, "cleaning-up" the neighborhood, and dating. These choices may ultimately lead down a predictable path, but they still provide some nice surprises and make for great storytelling.

Overall, this book is an easy, empathetic read. I cared about Lenny and wanted the best for her, and found myself happy to read for as long as that resolution took to unfold. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

Lenny Marks has a very strict routine:

She bikes home from work at exactly 4pm each day, buys the same groceries for the same meals every week, and owns thirty-six copies of The Hobbit (currently arranged by height). The closest thing she has to a friendship is playing Scrabble against an imaginary Monica Gellar while watching Friends reruns.
And Lenny Marks is very, very good at not remembering what happened the day her mother and stepfather disappeared when she was still a child. The day a voice in the back of her mind started whispering, You did this.

I can't begin to describe how fun this book was to read. You will laugh and cry as you follow Lenny's transformation. Fall in love with Lenny and her Friends.