I would like to first thank Kerry Mayne, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this novel (out July 9th!).

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder is classified under “cozy mystery”, but I would define it as something completely different. Yes, there is a mystery component to the storyline, but it is so much more. There is a depth to the character that will draw the reader in and make them root for Lenny. Her neurodivergence will make your heart hurt one chapter, then turn around and have you laughing and happy the next. I found myself rooting for Lenny, cheering her on as she made friends, found her family, rescued a dog…

Simply put, I loved it. It was heartbreaking to realize the amount of physical and emotional trauma that Lenny suffered as a young girl. However, she not only overcomes this, but also works through this trauma to become a better person and friend. She was delightful!

I would definitely recommend this to readers who enjoy a funny mystery book. Fans of Nita Prose’s The Maid would enjoy another take at a neurodivergent girl caught up in a murder she may or may not have committed.

This book looks a lot lighter than it is. There are moments of humor, but it’s a pretty full and emotional book about a woman struggling to navigate the world while suffering from repressed trauma. Lenny is a unique character, and definitely reads as being on the autism spectrum… she reminded me of a “heavier” version of the main character from The Maid. I really enjoyed it overall- Lenny definitely grew throughout the story and it was nice to see her become more empowered and in charge of her life. There were a lot of “coincidences” that were pretty impossible, but I was ok with living in the fantasy. It definitely wasn’t the book I was expecting going in, but I did end up enjoying it. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc.

Thanks for the review copy. This book has a very quirky protagonist. It is very well written. The book does have a lot of trigger warnings, though.

The title of this book might be a bit misleading—it's not exactly a murder mystery. Instead, it centers around Lenny Marks, a 37-year-old neurodivergent woman who teaches fifth grade and maintains a highly structured life. Everything changes when she receives a letter informing her that her stepfather is about to be released from prison. This news forces Lenny to confront the painful memories of her time living with him. Lenny is a character you'll inevitably grow to love.

The story centers around Lenny Marks, and she is the wonderful driving force behind this suspenseful and emotional tale. I'm sure introverts everywhere can identify with her love of a solitary and simple life with her copies of The Hobbit and the Scrabble she plays with her imaginary friend. I enjoyed her elaborate backstory that plays a large role in the mystery. Fans of mystery thrillers will enjoy this book.

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder by Kerryn Mayne follows a woman whose personality has been formed by repressed childhood trauma. This character driven debut novel is very highly recommended.

Lenny Marks, 37 years-old and single, is a fifth grade teacher at Selby South Primary School who is excels at not having a life. She keeps to herself and her routines. She eats the same things every week. She plays scrabble "with" Monica while watching Friends reruns. Lenny owns thirty-six copies of The Hobbit. Lenny may have difficulties reading people, but she is excellent with words. One of her coping mechanisms is rearranging the letters of words into as many anagrams as possible. Lenny Marks is also very good at not remembering what happened the day her mother and stepfather disappeared when she was still a child - until she is forced to remember.

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder is a well-written debut novel that kept me totally immersed in Lenny's story throughout. This character driven novel truly is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. It is written in the same vein of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. The narrative starts out at an even pace and then, once readers are introduced to Lenny and her idiosyncrasies, it begins to pick up the pace and reveal what really happened in Lenny's past and how she got the scar on her leg.

Lenny is a memorable, intelligent, complicated, neurodivergent character. She survived incredible trauma as a child and found a way to keep living while repressing many of those memories. Her inner thoughts and reactions are written in a believable manner. Readers will love to see her trying to connect with people and her rescue of an abuse dog.

Once her past is revealed, it is heartbreaking and all of Lenny's coping mechanisms make perfect sense. There are a few times you need to suspend some disbelief, but it is something you will gladly do in order to see Lenny through to the final denouement. Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder would be an excellent choice for book clubs! Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, X, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

This was quite the brilliant story! I am still amazed by the imagination and level of achievement the author reached in this book.

I, as other readers have mentioned, was sure this was a combination cozy read and rom-com. It certainly began that way, and I was quickly liking Lenny and her quirky personality. The further I read, the more I could see that this was not a run of the mill genre read. Clearly Lenny was dealing with a great deal of trauma and its effect on a young girl. She is the kind of character that you just find interesting and unpredictable in spite of her dependence on routine in her life. Things happened around her that kept the story building and magnetic.

I loved how Lenny changes throughout the book growing from a scared and self-conscious girl who kowtowed to others wishes into a strong and determined woman. She leaves the literal little girl behind in finding her way forward to happiness. Her relationship with Ned is also a lovely thing to behold as are all the relationships she ultimately accepts and allows to develop and bring her joy.

This is a triumphant book that I clearly enjoyed and would highly recommend to most any reader. Bravo on your premiere novel, Kerryn! I certainly hope there will be many more.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the debut book by Kerryn Mayne, with the audio perfectly narrated by Annie Maynard. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Lenny Marks leads a very orderly life, working as a primary teacher, doing the same things every day. She doesn't have any real friends, but is content watching Friends on tv. She calms herself rearranging letters into anagrams in her mind. She's also good at not remembering her past, until la letter from the parole board arrives in the mail and long-buried secrets come back. Her routines fall apart, she's connecting with others for the first time, but will it all fall apart for good?

Lenny Marks is a character you will fall in love with from the first page. Mayne has written a debut with a quirky character, but it's not all light-hearted. It has some dark humor, which I love, but is also heartbreaking and heartwarming. I loved following along Lenny's journey as she tries to come to grips with her past and live her best life. There are wonderful supporting characters in this story as well. I had the pleasure of a total immersion experience, with both the audio and digital, and loved the narrator's accent. Fabulous debut - can't wait to read more from this author!

for some reason, i thought this book already came out because it feels like I've been seeing it everywhere but that might just be me...

anyways, to me this book was nothing special, it had its interesting parts but for most of it i was falling in and out of sleep and there wasn't really a point in time when my attention was captured and held. and from the title you would think it comes into play before 80% of the book but over half of it is just worldbuilding and backstory.

it does make for a complicated character but i feel we were so focused on the past that the end was rushed and i think i need some aspirin from the 360 whiplash i got by the end of this (not the good kind)

even though i didn't have the best experience with the book its actually not that bad, just not something i would re-read or recommend to friends.

Content warnings: abuse, death of family, suicide, homophobic hate.

Lenny Marks lives a very regimented life. She eats the same things each week, exercises the same way most days, goes to work at the local elementary school and comes home. She doesn't really have friends, although she is trying to befriend (the wrong) fellow teachers.

At first, you'll ask yourself why she's like this. As the story unfolds, the why is shared, bit by bit, until you want nothing more than to save Lenny. But she has to do that for herself.

Despite all of the tough topics in this book, there also is hope, friendship and love. Reading this book will make you feel brave enough to be like Lenny and take a chance.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

Lenny Marks has difficulty connecting with people and spends much of her time alone. She also has difficulty reading social cues and is content with her solitary existence. Since childhood, she had imaginary friends, such as the young boy she read to when hiding in her home's closet. Now, Lenny has reached the age of thirty-seven and leads a quiet, routine, disciplined lifestyle. She successfully teaches a Grade 5 class and arrives home on her bicycle at the same time each day. She proudly owns thirty-six copies of The Hobbit, which she proudly rearranges on the shelf. Meals are carefully planned for each day and will follow the same order in the next weeks. In the evening, she plays Scrabble with her imaginary friend and roommate and binges on reruns of Friends. Lenny no longer lives alone, as she stole a mistreated dog from a neighbour. She names her dog Malcolm, he same name she called her imaginary childhood friend.

Lenny is uncomfortable in the school's teacher's room. She rarely speaks to her colleagues and, when she does, often says the wrong thing. She is aware that she is socially inept and worries about her inappropriate responses, which seem rude. She is anxious about losing her teaching position and her inability to fit in. She is also stressed that she would be fired if charged with stealing the dog. She imagines she is friends with two prep teachers while ignoring their ridicule. One fellow teacher extends friendship, but Lenny fails to understand her support. She dislikes being touched. At times of stress, she arranges words into anagrams in her mind.

Lenny has been compared to Eleanor Oliphant and Molly the Maid, whom I enjoyed. I never fully engaged with the Lenny character, making me the minority. She may be neurodivergent or on the spectrum, but her quirks may be due to a dissociative state from trauma caused by a miserable childhood. Her stepfather was cruel and abusive. At age eleven, both her mother and stepfather disappeared from her life, and she believed her mother chose him over her daughter. Next, she lived with her grandmother, but it seemed she was not wanted there either. Her subsequent placement was a happier one. Her foster parents treated her with kindness and love and encouraged her to be more outgoing.

A letter arrives from the state prison. Her stepfather is being released, and they want Lenny's input. Lenny was unaware or had forgotten the reason for his imprisonment, but the letter emotionally led her on a downward spiral. Some of the memories of her early life had been blocked out, and horrendous events started to return in bits and pieces. A social worker fills in the rest of the shocking details. She hears a voice repeatedly telling her it was all her fault. What does this mean?

Lenny has always been suspicious of anyone offering friendship, but she has several people who have befriended her despite her reluctance to feel worthy. Among her friends are an elderly neighbour with MS who fills Lenny in on some of her family background, her only friend from school, her foster mother, and the assistant manager from the grocery store where she shops. They have accepted her despite her peculiarities. Lenny is now learning to stand up for herself, although she must deal with past sadness and learn to accept help and help others. She even takes a leadership role when necessary.

There is a murder near the end of the story. Who and why? What is the outcome?
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this compelling psychological drama. It addresses childhood trauma, a disassociative state, dysfunctional family dynamics, emotional abuse, neurodivergent behaviour, loneliness, coverups, revenge, violence, psychopathic traits, trust, and resilience. A heartwarming and heartbreaking story. The book is due to be published on July 09.

Psychological thriller is not usually my book genre of choice. However, Vi Keeland is always an automatic one-click author for me. Since she wrote a thriler, I read it. I must say, it completely held my attention. I do like a book that makes me think. This one did exactly that.

The story is interesting. What stars out as a simple story of a hockey wife supporting her star husband through his playing career quickly spirals into a nightmarish situation from which many of the characters struggle to recover. There are a myriad of emotions to sort through, everything from sorrow, guilt, and anger to hope, love, and joy.

The pacing of the plot quickly shifts between past and present. The details are intrcate and intriguing. Just as I was sure I had a handle on what was going on, there was a twist that made me question my theory about who the villains are and who the victims are. All of the major players in this novel are morally gray and are suspect at several instances in the story.

Vi Keeland deftly weaves a unique tale where the reader gets to witness the best and worst behavior humans can display. She skillfully lulls the reader into thinking they have it figured out and then hits hard with the truth that only the most diligent of thriller readers will come close to guessing.

I would suggest you grab your comfort snacks, beverages, blankies, and pillows, burrow into your favorite reading space, and get ready for the best thrill read of Summer 2024.

I loved Lenny Marks! As it's been noted in other places, this is similar to Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - our neurodivergent protagonist is forced out of her comfort zone and confronts trauma from her past. This book gets a little darker than Eleanor Oliphant, and goes in a slightly different direction, but I loved it and was cheering for Lenny the whole way! Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance digital copy.

TThis is a debut novel by Kerryn Mayne and one that I truly enjoyed. Lenny Marks is a quirky character with a traumatic past that you can’t help but fall in love with her. I found myself cheering for Lenny and found her to be a courageous, kind and thoughtful person. She also seems extremely literal at times and tends to view the world in black and white. In some respects, she reminded me of Molly Gray from the Maid, by Nita Prose.

Lenny Marks has spent most of her life avoiding a traumatic past but it all seems to start to fall apart once she receives a letter from the parole board. As the story evolves, the reader learns additional details about Lenny’s past and all the challenges she had to face as a young child. To survive, Lenny may have developed some alternate stories about how she grew up and the reader won’t know the full story until the very end when it all comes together.

The book focuses on friendship, family and courage with lots of twists and unexpected secrets.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

#LennyMarksGetsAwayWithMurder #DebutNovel #KerrynMayne

Title: Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder
By: Kerryn Mayne

Genre:
Fiction, Mystery, Crime

Summary/Review:
Lenny is a socially awkward, elementary school teacher trying to deal with childhood trauma. Lenny has buried her past extremely deep, until she receives a letter from the courts and then all her memories come flooding back. I really wanted to fall in love with this novel and the character much like “The Maid.” However, the first half of the book was really slow for me. I enjoy character depth, unpredictable plotlines, and unexpected twists which this novel lacked. The end of the book created more of a mystery feel like I anticipated. Given the title and the cover, I assumed this book would be more of a cozy, somewhat suspenseful mystery, but for me, it was slower and I struggled to muddle through. For these reasons, I would rate the novel 3 out of 5.


Thank you Karryn Mayne, Macmillan, and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#reluctantreaderreads
#Karrynmayne
#Lennymarksgetsawaywithmurder
#fiction
#Nerodivergent
#netgalley
#advancedreadereditions

Thank you to NetGalley &St. Martin’s Press, for the opportunity to read Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder by Kerryn Mayne in exchange for my honest review.

"Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder" is presented as a 'cosy mystery', but it doesn't quite fit that genre. The main character, Lenny, is a quirky, single 37-year-old teacher dealing with childhood trauma. While her journey of coming to terms with her past and opening up to others has its moments, it often feels implausible and inconsistent, making it hard to fully connect with her.

The pacing of the book is slow, which may test the patience of some readers. Additionally, the direction of the final section felt unsatisfactory, despite the extensive setup throughout the story. However, the Friends references scattered throughout the book are delightful and always made me smile.

In summary, "Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder" is a mix of enjoyment and frustration. It has its strengths but is hindered by pacing issues and a disjointed narrative.

Things I liked
Corky characters, reminded me of Nina Hill
The slow burn in learning Lenny’s past

Things that didn’t work
Felt too long
I thought there were too many twists added at the end.

Overall a 3.5 read

I spent this whole book trying to decide if I liked it or not; it’s definitely unique! Lenny Marks is a fifth-grade teacher, a regimented woman who doesn’t go out, hates being touched, and pretends Monica Geller from “Friends” is her roommate, down to playing Scrabble with her. She eats the same things each week, rides her bike everywhere, has a crush on the cashier at her local market, and most importantly, has a very traumatic past.

I found Lenny to be a very similar character to Molly from Nita Prose’s “The Maid”. Lenny seems neurodivergent like Molly - she doesn’t understand other people and is fine with being alone, she is a rule-follower and she has a strange habit with words.

One day at work, she gets a letter at from a parole board, letting her know her stepfather is being released from prison. Lenny doesn’t care - her biological father is out of the picture, her mom left her with her grandmother, who died, leaving Lenny with foster parents.

Lenny keeps getting more angry letters that are not from the parole board, but she ignores them. That was a mistake. Now her abusive stepfather may be trying to track her down, right when Lenny is starting to try to make friends for the first time in her life. This is really the only mystery/thrill on the book, even though it’s labeled that way. I didn’t really see much of the dark humor element either, except for Lenny’s eccentricities. I would classify this as women’s fiction, but it was cute and I loved the Friends references and Lenny as a character. 3.5 stars, rounded up for being a debut.

(Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Kerryn Mayne and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on July 9, 2024.)

I am a huge fan of Eleanor Oliphant, which is probably why I liked this so much. This is similar in how the main character doesn't understand social interactions and is dealing with her own issues, but that's where the stories diverge. In this one, Lenny Marks is also dealing with a tragedy that happened when she was a child and that she needs to come to terms with. I think maybe the story tried to take on too much, but I loved Lenny Marks, and I loved how she chose Monica from Friends to be her real fake friend. During the book, Lenny is making a friend, and she is amazed that she doesn't have to make her up. Very charming. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review.

Mixed feelings on this one--I was engrossed in the character and her life (especially once I switched to audio and had that lovely British accent to listen to), but I was confused by the title for a long time. Over halfway through the book, there is a big reveal that illuminates some things, but the title still doesn't make sense until the very end. So is it a spoiler? Not really, because there are no hints to what will happen until deep into the novel. It's a weird choice and threw me off (both the title and what inspired it).
So the characters and writing--fabulous. The plot? Not my favorite. And the choice Lenny makes at the end doesn't make any sense to me. This seems to be a novel about trauma and healing from some very heavy circumstances (that she has repressed), but then it's super cavalier about new trauma that occurs within the book's pages. I can't say more about that without actual spoilers, but I thought the drama near the end was unnecessary and inauthentic. It undermined the novel's premise, which had been beautifully done up to that point.
I'm sure many will love this novel. I will be thinking about it for awhile, at the very least. And I am rooting for an imaginary person, hoping she continues to find healing and growth.
Thanks to @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the free e-galley and audiobook.