I enjoyed this story of a 37 year old woman potentially on the autism spectrum. Lenny's life is based on routine and control and she thoroughly enjoys her own company. She wants to make her foster mother happy by getting out and making friendships which turns out to be good and bad.

I loved watching Lenny navigate life. She's very blunt and says things like she sees them. Her story is sad in some ways but also uplifting when she attempts to expand her world and let others in. There are some twists that will surprise you and nice ending for Lenny.

The story reminded me of a couple other books I enjoyed, Strange Sally Diamond and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.

Best debut novel I have ever read. Loved it.
The main character, Lenny, is a lovable and quirky schoolteacher with a heartbreaking childhood. Growing up in foster care after her mother leaves her, Lenny has come up with ways to numb her past memories through word anagrams. A letter from a parole board is sent to Lenny's school and it sets off the premise of the story. The letter opens up the memories of her childhood trauma and we get to witness how Lenny comes through it all.
A hard book to describe, but I promise you that reading it will bring you happiness!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Kerryn Mayne for the gifted ARC. All opinions are my own.

There is so much more to this book than I expected. Lenny Marks is a schoolteacher who has perfected the art of not having a life. She rarely socializes, doesn't really put up with people, and has her set routines. When she receives a letter from her stepfather's parole board, her life completely changes. There are some crazy secrets in her past, and they spur her to finally connect to others. Great, heartfelt story with unexpected depth.

How do I explain this book? It was one that sounded so good, but then I started reading it and wasn’t sure about it. However, I still couldn’t find myself not finishing it. Something was drawing me to it.

Sadly, I finally gave up on it 25% into it. I’m still curious about the storyline and the end result, but I may just wait until there’s a book summary out there. I really wanted to like this, it just didn’t hit the mark for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Lenny likes her routine. She likes everything to he in order. When she receives a letter, it opens up alot of memories of her past. A good book.

Lenny Marks, grade 5 teacher, does not like to deviate from her routine, she doesn’t have any real friends and she loves her home. A quirky tale of a woman trying to overcome a traumatic childhood and move on with her life. I enjoyed watching the character growth and Lenny slowly came out of her shell and started to make friends and live her life as she finally put the past to rest. Fans of Elinor Oliphant will love this one!

As a book collector I loved reading about her many copies of the hobbit but this book is a lot more than that. I loved how the author weaved the past and present to converge in the middle and then that aha moment happened and it all came together. It did remind me of Eleanor Oliphant a bit but not in a bad way. I think a few people in my family will love this one

Kerry’s Maine’s debut novel, Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder, is perfection! Heartbroken, yet hopeful, Lenny has (mostly) overcome her dark, troubling childhood. She is a grade 5 teacher, has a home she loves and a great bike to provide transportation. She plays scrabble with her good “friend” Monica and dreams of being friends with the cool prep teachers at school, and just belonging. When a strange letter comes addressed to her old name, her dark past catches up with her. And Lenny needs to take charge. Rich, quirky characters and a well developed storyline make this a joyful quick read. Perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.

Lenny Marks likes everything just so. So when her abusive stepfather is released from prison, it creates havoc in her otherwise orderly world. She must learn to let others into her life- new friends, long lost relations, and even a furry friend. This is a wonderfully charming book full of delightful characters, funny mishaps, and personal growth.

Wow! What a twisted read. Lenny Marks is a tortured soul from childhood to adulthood. Haunted by her forgotten past. Storyline twists and turns to reveal the truth. Very good read. I was given an advanced reader copy of this well written book by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

I was pleased to receive an advance copy of Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder.

Lenny Marks is an intelligent and quirky neuro diverse title character that you can’t help but LOVE. The point of view we get from Lenny; and the way she describes her every day world is magical. Despite being socially unaware in some situations, she was a strong female lead who didn’t shy from speaking her mind.

I usually go for dark thrillers, or gripping murder mysteries. While this book does involve murder, (shocking with a title like that) it’s much more of a slow relaxing read. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat, but yet I was still very invested in the characters and where the story was going. There were a few twists that I wasn’t expecting, and a few others that felt obvious but not in an obnoxious way.

For a debut novel, the story line and characters were incredible. I’m in love with Kerryn’s story telling, and I guarantee that she is an author to watch. I would absolutely recommend this book to all of my friends.

I loved. This quirky little book and its main character and how it showed how childhood trauma shapes the rest of our life . It was just a quick quirky good read

I enjoyed getting to know the main character, Lenny Marks. She finds it difficult to make friends, has a regular routine that she can't change from, has an interesting interaction with an employee where she shops for groceries, loves to come up with with several different words sharing same letters from the main word she's fixated on, she's a caring person with neurodiversity, doesn't trust people easily most likely due to her difficult and traumatic childhood. Her life starts to unravel the day she receives a letter from the Adult Parole Board Victoria requesting a submission by victims. Lots happen since then where she begins getting to know some people and having to face her step father whom she tried to forget. This was an entertaining read that was both sad and funny but with hope and a chance for love and family. Thank you, NetGalley, and the publisher for the ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder! Lenny is a quirky 5th grade teacher in Australia.. Early on we know bad things happened in her childhood. As the story progresses, the author drops bits and pieces of information. We learn and Lenny desperately clings to her denial of her truth. One weak bit of plot could have been edited out when Lenny encounters her party girl co-worker Amy and her lover having a spat in a parking lot. The plot doesn’t need this. Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martins Press for the advance digital galley. #NetGalley

This was good!! A little slow at times but the overall story was very interesting the way it came together. I loved Lenny’s character and this story portrayed the effects of a childhood trauma.

This was a way deeper read than I expected. But in no way is this a bad thing. Kerryn Mayne has written a triumphant debut about overcoming overwhelming traumas of our past in the middle of a thoroughly satisfying mystery. Highly enjoyable.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

It’s hard to believe this is a debut. I loved Lenny! This novel is a unique mix of charming quirkiness and childhood trauma with a dash of mystery that somehow really works. Watching Lenny navigate social situations is both heartbreaking (Amy and Ashleigh) and heartwarming (Ned and Kirra). I couldn’t wait to find out what happened and I read it in one sitting. The ending is very thought provoking but I think most readers will be cheering for Lenny. I’m already excited for this author’s next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy and a chance to read this early. All opinions are my own.

Lenny Marks is excellent at not having a life.


She has a strict routine and doesn't veer from it. She makes the same meals every week and owns 36 copies of The Hobbit. Her game playing friend is Monica from Friends. ( not real)

She is a teacher and something awful happened in her past. She is really good at blocking that out. Until the day a letter arrives from the parole board. It’s not really as unsettling as who it’s addressed to. A name she lost a while back.

And now she hears, “you did this” in her head. What exactly did she do? Oh, my!

A neurodivergent character? Oh yes, and thank you! What a tragic and lovely story with all of the elements of a good mystery!

NetGalley/ St.Martin’s Press July 09,2024

Interesting read. A young lady lives her life either trying to remember or trying to forget what happened to her when she was around 11 years old. Did her mother choose her stepfather over her or did something really bad happen? She doesn’t remember or doesn’t want to remember and becomes something of a reclusive person who goes to work, goes to the grocery and then goes home day after day. Until one day everything goes horribly wrong and she can’t take it anymore. It all works out in the end but she has a bit of a time getting back to her normal life or a better version of her normal life. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

My favorite thing about this book was watching how Lenny, a wilted rose, bloomed into her new life. It wasn't anything I was expecting. This is not a face-paced book. I actually neared the end wondering when they would reveal the murder that she got away with. But I learned poor Lenny wasn't quite done blooming, and she did so in such a magical and interesting fashion.

Lenny isn't an immediately lovable character. You learn throughout the book that her idiosyncrasies are tied to her past trauma and abuse, and they are slow to reveal themselves, just like Lenny herself. The book kept me interested the entire time and I was smiling by the end at how it all came about.

Fantastic read. I'd be very happy to add this to my physical collection.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.