Found it disjointed, slow to start, and didn’t connect with the charm it was attempting to convey. I thought it did a great job portraying an ND woman but the first half to two thirds of the book gave nothing to the plot.

I thought this was an okay read, and I definitely liked the premise. The story was a bit slow getting started, as the opening chapters seemed to be heavily weighted toward letting the reader get to know the neurodivergent main character. Lenny is likable and interesting, but I felt like there was too much effort to tick all the boxes for a neurodivergent character in such a way that she felt a bit too stereotypical (not quite to the point of caricature, but getting there). I couldn't help myself from considering comparisons to other novels that I believe have been much more effective in these area (Eleanor Oliphant, of course, and especially the novels of Emily Austin). So, all in all, an okay read, but one I would be judicious about recommending.

This one started slow but picked up to a satisfying ending. Lenny is neurodivergent which made for an interesting and deep character. The flashback aspect of the story was good. There is childhood trauma discussed during this but not too explicitly. Don't want to give too much away so I'll end with this one is a good read and probably not what you expect.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

This book has so many layers of interesting developments and many of them I can’t write about in detail to not spoil the journey. To say as much: The book is not really about a murder case. I thought it would be in some way because of the title, but it isn’t and that’s perfectly fine. The book doesn’t need a murder case, as the characters and the story development are great in my opinion. Lenny probably joins the category of my all time favourite female lead characters. I love her quirkiness and it took just one chapter to like her and be invested in her story. All the other characters are similarly interesting and play smaller roles but all are important for the story. The book warmed my heart with all the friendliness and love Lenny gets from people. I enjoyed the book and I encourage everyone who likes quirky characters, found families and friendships in a book to read this one!

One comment on possible triggers for some readers: The book touches on abusive relationships and childhood trauma. Not in a very explicit way, but the topics are mentioned more than once.

(A review will be posted around pub day on my accounts on Goodreads and instagram @anns.book.chronicles)

LENNY MARKS GETS AWAY WITH MURDER by Kerryn Mayne ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️I went into this one blind and it was not what I expected at all. I think my favorite thing about this book was the characters. I loved how genuine and raw Lenny was. And I loved the people in her life who loved and showed up for her. Any book that deals with childhood trauma pulls at my heartstrings, and this was no exception. Overall, this book was a little slow moving for me.

Lenny Marks is a neurodivergent 37 year old school teacher who thrives on a schedule. Life seems to be going well for her until she receives a letter stating her step-father is up for parole. This letter is the start of flash backs happening bringing her back to what actually happened in her childhood.

Pub. Day: July 9, 2024.

Perfect if you like:
•Quirky and endearing characters.
•Overcoming trauma.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️
Mood: 🍿🍷

⚠️: explicit language.

Due out July 9th

What we know is that Lenny is 37, a schoolteacher, a scrabble whiz and genius at word games, a lover of Friends, a caring neighbor, and that she follows a careful routine for her clothing, transportation, and eating.

What we learn is that Lenny struggles to make friends, but is largely seen as friendly and a good teacher. Her only family is a foster mother who encourages her to put more effort into trying to be a bit more outgoing.

Lenny's world is thrown off kilter when she receives a letter in the mail, forcing her to either confront her past or continue avoiding it. And it's an enjoyable journey.

Narrated by Annie Maynard, who made an exquisite Lenny.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for an ARC and audio ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

If you enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, do I have a book for you! Lenny Marks is a 37 year old 5th grade teacher who like Eleanor (also neurodivergent) says it exactly like it is, no filters, creating a lot of awkward moments at times, but that's also her super power. Her routines help her get through the day until she can be back home watching Friends for the millionth time and playing Scrabble against imaginary Monica. Her life is going fine, well maybe not fine but good enough in her opinion, until one day she gets a letter saying her step-father is up for parole. This event starts to make Lenny crumble and flashbacks of that horrible night when her family all left her start coming back. Through the advice of her foster Mom, Fay, Lenny tries to start making more friends and saying yes to social invites. Some of this goes well, others are a little bumpy, like after a night of 6 glasses of wine at trivia she steals a dog! But in her defense the dog's owner was horrible and was abusing the dog.  While Lenny's past is quite traumatic and this book isn't all sunshine and rainbows, it has a lot of heart. I loved that it's a reminder to take notice of the people who show up for you and how the best friends might just be right under your nose. This story was great with its humor and spoke to my high school girl heart with its many references to Buffy the Vampire Slayer (you guys know how much I love Buffy). Annie Maynard did a fantastic job with the narration. There were many characters in this story but it was so easy to follow along. She gave such a warmth to Lenny's character. Congrats Kerryn Mayne on such a fabulous debut! Thank you St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the gifted copies.

Kerryn Mayne's debut novel, Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder, is a compelling mix of mystery and emotional exploration. The protagonist, Lenny Marks, is an intriguing character with her rigid routines and eccentric habits, such as owning thirty-six copies of The Hobbit and playing Scrabble against an imaginary Monica Gellar. These quirks add a unique charm to the story and provide a relatable insight into her carefully controlled world.

The narrative takes a dramatic turn when Lenny receives a letter from the parole board, triggering the resurfacing of long-buried memories related to her mother's and stepfather's mysterious disappearance. Mayne skillfully unravels Lenny's past, interweaving it with her present-day struggles and the gradual breakdown of her meticulously structured life. The tension between Lenny's need for control and the chaos of her resurfacing memories is palpable, making for a gripping read.

However, the novel sometimes falters in pacing. The buildup to the core mystery feels slow at times, with prolonged focus on Lenny's day-to-day activities. While these details are essential to understand her character, they occasionally detract from the main plot. The climax, though impactful, could have been more tightly woven to maintain a consistent level of suspense throughout.

Mayne's portrayal of Lenny's journey towards connection and self-discovery is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. The development of new relationships and the sense of community that emerges as Lenny's life unravels add depth to the narrative. The supporting characters, while endearing, sometimes feel underdeveloped, leaving readers wanting more insight into their backgrounds and motivations.

Overall, Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder is a promising debut that offers a unique blend of mystery and heartfelt storytelling. Despite some pacing issues and occasional character development shortcomings, Lenny's story is compelling and emotionally resonant. It's a novel that reminds us of the power of facing our past and the importance of human connections, earning it a solid three stars.

Unfortunately, Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder is not the book for me. While I was initially drawn into the narrative and the writing, I found that the nature of Lenny's idiosyncrasies got repetitive quickly and I couldn't connect. I think part of the problem was that I was expecting a different sort of book--a cozy thriller of some sort or one along the lines of the Finlay Donovan series and was left disappointed to find it was nothing like either.

Thanks to the publisher for the invitation to read and review this book through NetGalley.

The one where…if you’ve ever watched Friends you’ll probably appreciate many parts of this book. Lenny is an awkward woman with a past. She is obsessed with friends and pretends to have a bff named Monica (a la friends). We learn about Lenny’s troubled past and you realize she’s been living half of a life while she hides from her past pain. The book really is quite sad honestly and discovering what happened gave me a tweak to my gut. Lenny is a pretty like able character even though I sound some of her actions…concerning. Overall I enjoyed the book and those the liked Eleanor Oliphant probably will feel the same.

Lenny [aka Helena Winters] Marks, is 37 years old, a socially awkward loner, and a creature of habit/lives in a box. A teacher at an elementary school, she owns 36 copies of The Hobbit [arranged by height], has a weekly routine for her meals, watches Friends obsessively [and plays Scrabble with Monica], and is in my mind, definitely OCD. She had a traumatic childhood [from which she has blocked large parts]--an abusive stepfather [in jail but ready to be paroled], and often reverts to young Helena and Malcolm, her imaginary friend. After her mother "disappeared" [?] she went to live with her grandmother, Zanny, and then to loving foster parents, Fay and Robert. Robert has since passed but Fay is a pillar in her life and continues to watch over her. Lenny liberates a dog she fears is being abused, takes him home, and names him Malcolm. She uses anagrams as a way of coping to calm herself down.

Much back and forth -- especially with Lenny's past -- and present, There are mean girls and boys when she was a student and mean girls she faces as a teacher.

Definite humor:
her grandmother's favorite accessory was a wineglass
"both accessorised infuriatingly effortlessly and knew how to use eyeliner and lipstick without looking like concubines"

New words:
merbau
fossicking

A couple of the plot lines/trajectories I DID NOT see coming, but I did figure out the neat and tidy.

In the distinct minority of readers, 3 stars. Many times I felt I could have walked away, but I persevered.

Lenny Marks likes a routine - she has has 36 copies of the Hobbit, she buys the same groceries every week and prepares the same meals for herself. Her friends are all imaginary, created from characters from shows and she plays scrabble every night with her imaginary roommate Monica (from Friends). Strangely she cannot remember what happened the day her mom and stepdad disappeared from her adolescent life until one day a letter shows up from the parole board and slowly painful memories begin to creep back into her mind. As memories begin to surface and concurrently Lenny starts to interact with her co-workers and other people in her community she realizes that she can have relationships and that maybe there have been people looking out for her all along.

This was totally my kind of novel, in the vein of The Strange Sally Diamond and Interesting Facts About Space, you have a character who doesn't quite know how to interact with the world around them and it's partially due to a childhood trauma. I appreciate these novels because the characters are written with a quirkiness which gives the book a certain levity while there is a serious topic being addressed. Lenny was a lovable character and the ancillary characters were perfect foils to her. This was a great novel and I half read and half listened (always love an Australian accent) and honestly, I couldn't put down. It didn't feel too dark or heavy even with the topic at hand.

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

Wow, I hate to say this but I don't think I was the right reader for this book. Not only did it not grab me right away, it was so difficult to get into that I dreaded picking it up. I also tried the audidbook but that didn't help. I was just not a good fit.

I was just completely sucked into this story from the beginning. It was interesting to see someone who shares some of my same quirks with some socially awkward behavior and not to the same extent, obsessive personality. I thought it was well written and not something there just for some type of plot device that didn't really do anything. I enjoyed this one very much.

3.5 Stars

I was invited to read this one by the publisher since I had previously enjoyed the character of Fern in Sally Hepworth's "The Good Sister", a sympathetic and likeable character who was "on the spectrum". This also reminded me of the main character in Gail Honeyman's "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine", a book I had also enjoyed.

A 38-year old children's teacher named Lenny Marks is the main character in this book. I immediately get triggered by a little annoyance I have when authors use ambiguous names for their characters. This character's real name is Helena but she goes by the nickname of Lenny. I like to be able to visualize a character clearly and these kinds of things trip me up when I'm reading. I very much enjoyed reading about the daily routines in Lenny's life such as riding her bicycle for transportation, her self-reliance, love of reading, and introvert tendencies (a trait I share). These idiosyncracies always seem to be a problem with everyone else, even though the person is completely fine in their own comfortable habitat. But it's interesting to "watch" these other characters always try to pierce the veil of such a dug in personality.

There is psychological and physical trauma in Lenny's youth that has built her personality and blocked her from facing some horrors in her past. These were slowly revealed throughout the book. While I was interested in the mundane practices of Lenny's daily life and her awkward interactions with others, I shied away from the mystery/murder elements of the book. As a rule, I do not enjoy murder mysteries or thrillers, so this wasn't surprising. Luckily the bulk of the book was more of an interesting character study, so this held my interest and enjoyment of the book.

Thank you to the publisher St. Martin's Press for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

This was an interesting book. It is amazing what the mind does to help someone through a trauma. We follow Lenny, who is content in her life, but one letter changes everything. Lenny will have a more active and fulfilling life. Lenny will also face demons, which she wasn't ready to do until now. So take a ride with Lenny as she navigates life.

4.5 🌟

Not the cozy mystery I was expecting but in the best way possible.

The title of this book is a little misleading - I figured this book would be like other cozy mysteries and this book was heavier than I expected. I fell in love with Lenny as a neurodivergent character and if I could hug her, I would. This was such a great debut!

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

Thank you to St Martins Press for my arc!


First off this book made me cry my eyes out. Lenny's whole thought process made me feel really seen and it was really comforting to read about someone who thinks the way i do. I loved this book so much and it felt like a cozy thriller? it still had a thriller aspect but You're really following along with Lenny as she tries to navigate the world and come to terms with what happened during her childhood.

i highly recommend this.

School teacher Lenny Marks follows a very strict routine. Her companion is the TV show Friends, and she has an ongoing Scrabble game with her imaginary friend, Monica Geller. Lenny does not remember everything that happened on the day her mother and stepfather abandoned her as a child, but a letter from the parole board makes memories from childhood come back.

This well-written and touching debut novel snuck up on me. I went in blind, and this story was not what I expected from the title, etc, but I also couldn't stop reading/listening. I was very invested in Lenny's story. The plot unfolds in an intruging way but I won't say much to avoid spoilers.

Lenny is neurodivergent, socially awkward, quirky, and endearing. A well-developed character who had me rooting hard for her. She has endured significant trauma, and her mind blocked it out almost entirely as a coping mechanism. There are events to sort out, but the heart of the story is Lenny's healing journey and her path to forming relationships and allowing others in her life. Despite her struggles, Lenny's courage and strength grow as her memories of traumatic and heartbreaking past events return. This was a departure for me from my typical reads and I am so glad I took a chance on it. It was emotional, gripping, and thought-provoking. Lenny stayed with me long after I finished, and I look forward to whatever Mayne writes next.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the free audiobook!

What a fantastic book. This seems like a carefree story of a slightly awkward woman, but there is real depth and growth located within. I really loved getting to know Lenny and her families.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.