I started reading and soon I was enthralled, I couldn't put the book down anymore. Literally unputdownable.
I recommend this gem of a story, 5 stars.

Lenny Marks is resilient, strong, brave, powerful, unique and so incredibly wonderful. This book was a rollercoaster of joy, compassion, heartbreak and mystery. I was drawn in immediately and wanted to stay in her world. I loved learning about Lenny and the way she goes through life. She is neurodiverse but that’s just a tiny fragment of her story. She has been through more than I ever imagined when I picked up this book. Seeing the army of people she had in her corner was heartwarming and special. Parts of this book were almost too heartbreaking to handle but it was all done so beautifully and through Lenny’s eyes. Lenny is a special human & so are each of the wonderful people she has in her life. Grateful to have read this book & absolutely recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are mine alone.

Lenny is a survivor. She has created strict rules for rherself as a result of a difficult childhood. But things change when the rules start getting broken?
Overall a great story. I did feel parts moved a little slow, but loved the character of Lenny.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Fans of Lessons in Chemistry will love the quirky Lenny Marks and her many adventures. I loved this character and the plot of the story. When I finished the book I added it my list of books I’ll pick for book club this year. You’ll find yourself cheering Lenny on and maybe even shedding a few tears…I know I did!
Lenny Marks loves her job as a fifth year teacher and her very ordinary life. With no family and no friends she spends her days at work and her nights watching her favorite show Friends. When a letter arrives from the parole board Lenny is transported back to a time and place she has chose to not think about. The very existence of this letter will start a chain of events that will change Lenny’s life forever.

Lenny Marks retelling of the truth is extreme. Her brain is a wonder, to have blocked memories so thoroughly. It means her life is ordered, structured but dull. Until a letter addressed to Helena Winters arrives at her work place. That one letter starts Lenny down a path of heartache, adventure, bravery and joy. Just like her beloved Bilbao Baggins.
There have been lots of characters with neurodivergence in the last few years and Lenny is another heroine to add. She is mostly truthful, mostly kind but always wants to protect those in need. She just needs to start trusting.
This was a brilliant mystery with a few twists and lots of humor.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

Thirty-seven year old teacher Lenny Marks….has a routine. She bikes home from work each day, buys the exact same food for precisely the same meals on the same days of the week each week and owns thirty-six copies of THE HOBBIT. She also gets lays Scrabble with Monica Geller from “Friends” as her imaginary opponent. Routine is safe. And routine make it much easier for her to forget the day her mother and stepfather disappeared when she was a child.

Then she gets a letter from the parole board. She tries to ignore it, but to no avail, and her routine starts to fall apart. She interacts with others. Will Lenny be forced out of her shell? Or will her past catch up with her first?

This was a nice little book, reminded me a bit of the superior ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS JUST FINE, but it had its win charms and a sweet dog. A lot happens, some of it you’ll see coming, some not, and it all makes for an enjoyable, dare I say light, read, although some of the subject matter really isn’t light at all. The author made it seem light. I’m not sure how that worked, but it happened.

I loved this book. Lenny had a heartbreaking a childhood and it explains why she is the way she is and why she has rules she needs to follow, but once she starts breaking her own rules, the mystery starts and stays like that until the end.

Lenny Marks is such an eccentric, wounded, hilarious, multi layered character, I loved her from the first page! Discover the truth of her past childhood trauma that she blocked from memory and witness her life change dramatically! Must read!

This book was extremely well done. It held my interest and kept me guessing. It was a lot more intense than I thought it was going to be. It was heartbreaking at times. If I knew what the backstory was, I honestly would not have read it.
This book should come with a lot of trigger warnings. Keep that in mind. However if you are someone that usually likes true crime and police stories, you will likely enjoy this piece of fiction.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lenny had a very traumatic childhood, and she has created a safe quiet life for herself. She does not like to draw attention to herself and prefers to lead a solitary life. She is very organized, precise and detail oriented. She leaves for work each day on her bike at the same time, dressed very conservatively taking the same route to her job. When she arrives at the school where she works, she has a routine that she follows before beginning work. She shops that the same grocery store, eats the same things and watches the same tv shows. Lenny has no friends and likes it that way. Lenny is happy as she is and does not like change. But change does come when she gets a letter about the parole of her stepfather. Then the world that Lenny loves begins to come apart.
This storyline of this book was not what I was expecting but it was a very good one. It was a little slow at first but then it picked up as more and more surprises occurred.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

Lenny Marks is single and leads a very controlled life daily repeating her routine. She bikes to and from her beloved teaching job, buys the same groceries on the way home and has few friends except in her imagination. Thankfully she does have her foster mother Fay who prods her to be more social. The disappearance of her mother and stepfather at a young age has stunted her adult life however. When a letter arrives from the Parole Board Lenny tries to ignore it as long as possible. Eventually the letter shakes up Lenny's life.

Readers will experience a range of emotions while reading about this quirky protagonist. Kerryn Mayne's debut is great. I look forward to reading what she writes next.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read the e-galley prior to publication.

Lenny is an unforgettable character even if she would prefer you forget her. She suffered a terrible childhood trauma and has managed this by keeping her world small and controlled. Things change when she learns that the person responsible for the trauma will soon be released from prison. The side characters are important and memorable and interesting....her unusual but loving next door neighbor, the people she teaches with who she thinks could be her friends and the neighborhood grocer who she possibly has feelings for. We see Lenny work through small things that to her are really big and when it appears it could all change, she finds ways to survive and she is brilliant! A five star debut for me!

What a knockout debut! Lenny loves order. Order is good. Routines are good; they are comforting. But when Lenny starts opening herself up to breaking her own rules, the real story begins. You will love Lenny and all of her quirks and the colorful characters in her life. This book was unexpected in the best way and if you loved Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, prepare to devour your new favorite read: Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read Lenny Gets Away with Murder. It took me a few to get into the book as I wasn't sure really what direction the story was going. That being said that once the well orchestrated pieces started to fall into place I really did like the book a lot. Lenny's story is one of everyone leaving her. Lenny knows she is different and thinks that it is because of that she looses all the people she cares about in life. However, when she gets a letter at school from a mysterious place the story of Lenny truly begins. Its a book that is filled with trauma and resiliency. I really enjoyed this book.

Lenny is a teacher who loves her routine and her bike and her own way of doing things. We learn of Lenny’s past trauma and we learn why routine is so important to her. The book was good but a bit slow. But I did find myself pulling for this loveable character.

Perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder delivers a story of neurodivergent Lenny who struggles connecting with her peers even at the encouragement of her foster-mum, spending evenings watching Friends re-runs while pretending to play Scrabble with Monica Gellar and sticking to the same weekly meal routine, and most notably, she has a hard time remembering exactly what happened when her mom and stepdad disappeared when she was just a child apart from a voice that tells her “You did this.”

As we embark on Lenny’s day-to-day journey navigating her life as a 5th grade teacher trying to fit in with her colleagues and making small talk with the local grocer, things start to unravel with letters and calls from the parole board, a kidnapped dog, and an unexpected neighbor/family friend, Lenny’s history starts falling into place as she faces the demons of her past and springs forward into getting her own life.

At first, I felt that Lenny’s story was venturing a little too close to what had been done in Eleanor Oliphant and thought it might be another knock-off of the anxious woman with a traumatic past trope. Granted it’s been a hot minute since I’ve read Eleanor Oliphant, I felt like this was where Lenny was headed but was pleasantly surprised with the dark humor and the way everything all tied up in the end, even if the “twists” felt a little predictable, I still enjoyed the heart that came through the plot.

Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read this title early! I will definitely be recommending this to my friends.

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.