Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder is the debut novel from Kerryn Mayne. Set in Australia, Lenny is a 37 year old elementary teacher who is very set in her ways and relies on her routine to get through each day. It’s takes a bit, but once we learn more about Lenny’s childhood, the reader can start to understand what makes Lenny tick.

This novel will appeal to those who enjoy quirky character reads that also have a good story. I enjoyed the development of Lenny’s character as she starts to face her past. I found this to be a strong debut and look forward to the next novel by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Lenny Marks is a 5th grade teacher, reclusive to the point she pretends to have friends so her Foster Mom doesn't worry about her, and bluntly truthful to a fault with an uncanny way with words. Her rocky childhood where she was abandoned by her mother and stepfather and her grandmother gave her up to a foster family make her avoid relationships even though her foster Mom and Dad never failed her. She bravely accepts an invitation to trivia night with the other teachers, drinks too much wine, steals a dog that is being abused and so begins her journey of stepping out of her comfort zone and social awkwardness and maybe even making friends at school and with her neighbor. Until the probation officer finally reaches her to tell her that her stepfather is getting out of prison and her past comes rushing back along with memories she has buried deeply for years and years.

I loved Lenny and her wonderful quirkiness and this story gives you so much more than your typical murder mystery. It makes you laugh and root for Lenny but also makes your heart ache for the kids stuck in bad home situations and the scars that are left behind but wraps it all with love, light and hope. Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this book and was rooting for Lenny (short for Helena) to overcome her social awkwardness and for people to see her true self. I liked how Lenny calmed herself by finding and mentally listing words within words. As the story progresses and we learn the truth of Lenny's past, she becomes a real heroine, not to be underestimated. The story elicited many different emotions, some good and some bad, and the writing is top-notch.

TW: Domestic abuse, child abuse, animal cruelty.

Hard to believe this is a debut novel. Kerryn Mayne is definitely an author to watch. All the stars!

Many thanks to Althea Mignone, Marketing Assistant, St. Martin's Press via Netgalley for providing a copy of this debut novel for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: July 9, 2024

I had an absolute blast diving into this charming debut! Lenny is a unique, caring soul who struggles with making friends, and trust me, there's an intriguing reason behind her quirks. I highly recommend getting to know Lenny and the other fabulous characters who add spark to this story!

For twenty-five years, Lenny has been trying to forget the day her mother walked out on her when she was just eleven. Her stepfather's harsh words, “You did this,” have haunted her ever since. After a stint with her grandmother, she settled into a happy life with her foster parents, Fay and Robert, though she never talked about her past.

Now, at thirty-seven, Lenny is a dedicated grade-five teacher at Selby South Primary School. She thrives on routine, loves her thirty-six copies of The Hobbit, binge-watches Friends reruns, and plays Scrabble with her imaginary housemate. Her life is predictably cozy until a letter from the parole board lands on her desk, throwing everything into chaos. As old memories resurface, Lenny finds herself juggling the challenge of making her mother and foster mother proud while trying to bring some excitement into her perfectly ordered world.

This story is a rollercoaster of emotions! Watching Lenny confront her past and navigate the twists and turns of her life is both moving and captivating. The characters surrounding her are fantastic, and their interactions make this tale even more compelling. If you’re up for a heartfelt and entertaining read, this book is a must!

CW: trauma, abuse, depictions of mental health, some others

Read as an ARC via NetGalley. “Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder” is available now!

37 year old Lenny Marks is quite content with the way her life is going. She goes to work, comes home, and not much else. Her meals are planned, her schedule is routine, and there are no surprises. Lenny Marks does not like surprises. So when a letter arrives at her work notifying her of just such a surprise, and a wholly unwelcome one at that, it throws everything off. The more Lenny tries to hold onto her routine, the more her hazy past seems to disrupt it. Even worse, though, Lenny starts to remember.

My first thought as I was reading this was, “my god, this woman is neurodivergent as hell.” Eventually, this was followed by, “ohhhhh, it’s the trauma.” By the end, it was, “oh, no, wait, it’s both.” So, basically, I loved it. Seriously though, this was such a good read, and it really hit all of those pesky little emotions along the way.

The real star of the show here is Lenny herself. The setting is ultimately a minor detail, and relatively understated. The plot, though incredibly interesting, is ultimately focused on Lenny, which makes this a character-driven story. And since Lenny is the main character, we’ve come full circle back to my original statement: Lenny is what makes this book incredible.

In the beginning of the story, we get a good look into exactly what Lenny’s life has been since she became an adult. Specifically, her life is routine. Everything is just so, and very understated, and there are no changes unless absolutely unavoidable. It’s a feeling that resonates really strongly with me because I, like Lenny, absolutely detest change. People, for Lenny, are confusing and uncomfortable and it’s really just better if such interpersonal dealings are left to others. We then get to see everything as Lenny tries desperately to hold herself together; memory is a tricky thing, especially when there’s trauma involved, and what Lenny remembers may or may not be what really happened. Coming to terms with that, and dealing with her history, and learning to interact with people—all of these things are difficult and uncomfortable and portrayed so brilliantly that I don’t even know where to truly begin discussing them. By the end of things you just want to give the poor woman a hug and also go on the warpath and also crawl under a blanket and hide from the world. It’s uncomfortable and awkward and heart wrenching and a little bit funny and a lot of something I can’t quite name and it’s all still somehow so cozy. But also, there’s this creeping sense of something being off and you just *know* that it’s going to be bad but you can’t quite stop yourself hurtling towards the truth.

I don’t know how the author managed to pull it off, but this book managed to do all the things while having relatively little in the way of actual outside events happening to the MC. It’s a style that I normally struggle to get through, but I couldn’t put it down; I think a lot of that has to do with it being the equivalent of your brain melting and having to be rebuilt because everything you thought you knew was wrong and also right and somehow it’s all delivered without being terrifying. If you want an emotional story that somehow still manages to be engaging and insightful and entertaining, with a protagonist who doesn’t really fit in her own skin, and a lurking, impending sense of dread without the anxiety, then this is the book for you.

Lenny is a 5th grade teacher who is extremely routine orientated, has a strict schedule and isn’t very social. But she loves scrabble and watching Friends. But she decides she is going to try to be friendly with the school staff and join them for Trivia Night. And she is definitely going to ignore the letter that arrived for Helena Winters.

Unfortunately, things don’t go quite as well as she hoped at Trivia Night and that pesky letter is still staring at her, as she forces herself not to remember that fateful night with her mother and stepfather when her life came crashing down. But she can’t ignore the past. As Lenny is forced to reckon with her past, she also finds that the right social connections just might be what save her in the end.

This novel was not at all what I expected. It is not a cozy mystery. Don’t be fooled by the cover that it’s a silly read. It’s a bit of a thriller but also a story of childhood trauma, friendship and community. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved Lenny’s character and the overall story.

Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the digital review copy

Read this if you like:
🚲 Slow burns
🚲 A character driven plot
🚲 Neurodivergent representation
🚲 Found family
🚲 Overcoming Trauma

The cover may lead you to believe that this will be a cozy mystery which isn’t the case. There is a lot of depth here in understanding Lenny, catching glimpses of her youth until we come to a head in understanding who she is. Ordinarily I may have missed this, but am grateful for this unexpected read.

🎧 Annie Maynard played Lenny perfectly. She captured the essence of her quarks, maintained consistencies in the inflection of her voice when conveying Lenny’s idiosyncrasies, overall keeping my attention throughout this story.

Such an amazing debut and with it a powerful character in Lenny. Looking forward to Mayne’s future work.

Oh, how I loved this character!!! This story will give you all the feels! I went into it hoping for another story like Strange Sally Diamond. Well, this a completely different story and that turned out to be just fine with me! Lenny is a schoolteacher. She is also described as neurodivergent, routine oriented and has no friends, other than the TV show Friends, which she is obsessed with. She decides to try and make some friends of her own. Around this same time, a letter from the Parole Board shows up with news that her stepfather is being released. Cue the dark issues from her past. This is all I want to say, as I feel it's best to not too much. Just trust me! You will absolutely root for Lenny Marks! I did not want this story to end the character is still with me. AWESOME debut!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Kerryn Mayne and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

Lenny is a socially awkward young woman with a personality bordering on OCD. Her best (and only) friend is Monica, an imaginary housemate based, ironically, on the character from the tv series “Friends”. She struggles to navigate the world of work and relationships.

It’s a heartbreaking story with themes of abuse and mental challenges, told with sensitivity. The character development is slow yet feels immediate, and though I felt initially like I wouldn’t like Lenny if I met her in real life, she quickly grew on me. She’s insightful, funny and surprisingly empathetic.

I enjoyed being with her on her journey to healing and independent growth. You will to!

This isn't a cozy mystery like you would think but it held my held my attention and was fast paced. Lenny was a very interesting character with great writing.

When I first requested this book, I thought I would be reading about the mishaps of a quirky, middle aged woman. This book was so much more! I really enjoyed the mystery and suspense. I loved how we learned more and more about her background as things around her fell apart. I loved everything about Ned and Malcolm. Overall it was a great read and I am so grateful that the publishers chose me to read and review this ARC.

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder broke me. Her life is full of heartache. One loss after another and being displaced from one home to the next in her youth until she finally settled with a family. That type of trauma early in life undoubtably has psychological effects. It's surprisingly emotional when you become wholly invested in a character such as Lenny. She's quirky, socially awkward, and a little OCD. It's a pleasure to be along side while she navigates work, love, and the impending release of her stepfather from prison. She quickly rose to the top as one of my favorite characters.

This little gem is a great read!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc.

Interesting and so unsuspecting. It reminded me a bit of Eleanor Oliphant but different. I enjoyed how Lenny evolved in the story and was surprised by the twists and turns at the end of the story. Lenny is a teacher who thrives on routine and repetition. She wants to fit in and have friends (okay, her therapist says she needs to) but she is socially awkward and unable to read people. What she thinks is true is not always real. Her best friend is Monica, or rather in her head this is true as she immerses herself into the show FRIENDS. Some of the teachers reach out to her, but some are not sincere. But how heartbreaking and eyeopening how one's early life impacts a child who then becomes an adult. And no one knew. But then, how heartwarming that Lenny does find a dear and true friend who is in her corner, and also a love who appreciates her for all her quirks. Lenny Marks does get a life. It really is an interesting read and I would recommend it. Many thanks to #netgalley #lennymarksgetsawaywithmurder #kerrynmayne for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Lenny Marks initially seems a bit unusual and standoffish. Lenny’s inability to understand social cues can make things tough for her. This book developed in a surprising way that led to several unexpected situations, showing the strength and resilience of Lenny’s character. The friends she makes along the way help support her and encourage her to overcome a great trauma. Overall the book can be humorous and uplifting. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Lenny Marks, 37, teaches grade five students. She is a very structured person and always on top of things which gives her contentment in her life. When she receives a letter addressed to Helena Winters from a Parole Board forwarded to her school, her fellow teachers are intrigued. However, Lenny decides not to open it. She has not seen Fergus Sullivan, her stepfather, in over 20 years.

She was raised mostly by her foster Mom, Fay, whom she sees quite often. The woman is so good to her and understands that she is rather withdrawn and always encourages her to try and make friends and to even see a counselor. Lenny is hesitant to do that.

She bikes to and from work. She shops at a small grocery store buying the same items to prepare the same meals each week. She watches reruns of “Friends” and plays scrabble with her imaginary friend, Monica Geller, while eating her dinner. Lenny’s same routine makes her happy and content. Lenny is quite fluent and new words have her mentally seeing how many words she can make out of it.

But she is hiding and coping with a tragic past which she does to bet to bury in the back of her mind. But, will it stay there?

I felt that this was a difficult book to get through. It was way too long which happens too often making a book become boring with the temptation to give it a DNF. Since I hate to do that, I pushed through to the end. I felt sorry for Lenny because she is simply a vanilla, dull person. I feel generous in giving it 3 stars. Sorry. Not for me.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I enjoyed reading this new to me author’s story. There were twists and turns and surprises along the way I can’t wait to see what Ms Mayne is going to bring us next.


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder exceeded my expectations. As the author's debut novel, it is well written. Lenny is a lovable, fun character, and I appreciated the respectful and sensitive depiction of neurodiversity. The book is a lovely, thought-provoking, sad, and often funny story. Watching Lenny navigate life was a joy. My only issue is that the story seemed to drag at times. Besides this, it's a compelling and heartwarming read.

Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder is so much more than its cover. I would describe it as a beautifully written character driven, engaging, and suspenseful page turner. Lenny Marks is a school teacher, and she is a timid woman who spends her time watching Friends on TV and playing Scrabble alone. When her past comes knocking on the door, Lenny Marks begins to unravel. Lenny strives to deal with a past she was up to that point, able to shut away. Kerry Mayne's Lenny Marks character is authentic, resonates with authenticity, is heartfelt, and enchanting. It is an intelligent book with a riveting story and an ending that was enjoyable and satisfying. Big thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

**NetGalley Review: Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder**

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

"Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder" is a thrilling ride from start to finish. The story hooks you in right from the beginning with its intriguing premise and keeps you guessing until the very end. Lenny Marks is a fascinating character, both complex and relatable, and watching his journey unfold is nothing short of captivating.

The pacing is excellent, with just the right amount of tension and suspense to keep you turning the pages. The plot twists are well-executed and genuinely surprising, adding to the overall excitement of the story. The author's writing style is crisp and engaging, making for a thoroughly enjoyable read.

There were a few moments where the story felt a bit stretched, but overall, it did not detract from the overall enjoyment. If you're a fan of suspenseful mysteries with a strong central character, "Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder" is a must-read. A solid 4/5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this thinking it was going to be a cozy mystery but this is so much more. It reads more of a character study, and we see the MC really develop throughout. I think this would be perfect if you liked Molly from The Maid (Nita Prose). It was so much deeper than I had expected it to be