Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder by Kerryn Mayne

 

Lenny Marks is excellent at not having a life.

She bikes home from work at exactly 4pm each day, buys the same groceries for the same meals every week, and owns thirty-six copies of The Hobbit (currently arranged by height). The closest thing she has to a friendship is playing Scrabble against an imaginary Monica Gellar while watching Friends reruns.

And Lenny Marks is very, very good at not remembering what happened the day her mother and stepfather disappeared when she was still a child. The day a voice in the back of her mind started whispering, You did this.

Until a letter from the parole board arrives in the mail--and when her desperate attempts to ignore it fail, Lenny starts to unravel. As long-buried memories come to the surface, Lenny’s careful routines fall apart. For the first time, she finds herself forced to connect with the community around her, and unexpected new relationships begin to bloom. Lenny Marks may finally get a life–but what if her past catches up to her first?

Equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming, Kerryn Mayne’s stunning debut is an irresistible novel about truth, secrets, vengeance, and family lost and found, with a heroine who's simply unforgettable.

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About The Author

Kerryn Mayne is an author, former wedding photographer and current police officer. When not at work attempting to solve crime, she is writing about it or preparing an endless stream of snacks for her four children. Kerryn lives in the Melbourne suburbs with her husband, four children and a highly suspect lovebird. She only owns 12 copies of The Hobbit (for now).

Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder was her debut novel, released in February 2023. Lenny Marks was shortlisted for a Ned Kelly debut crime award and shortlisted for an Indie Booksellers Award.

Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder will be released in the USA with St Martins Press on 9th July 2024.

Joy Moody Is Out Of Time is her second novel and due to be released with Penguin Random House Australia on 27th February 2024.

Kerryn is still in disbelief that she is a real life, actual, published author.

She is represented by Elaine Spencer of The Knight Agency.

You can find her attempting to be hilarious on Instagram as @kerrynmayneauthor. She forgets about Facebook, but is sometimes there as well. Don’t ask her about X or Tik Tok, she has no idea.

 

My Review

 I loved Lenny Marks, what a heart this girl has, and yet, as you begin this read you wonder what made her tick the way she does.
She is a loner by choice, but she has such great compassion, and willingly goes out of her way to save those in need.
Then the word game she played, and her roommate Monica, sure seemed to work!
This does become a page turner, and yes the answers do come, and there were surprises. Some were manipulated, which we do find out, and in the end praise. We root for Lenny all the way!
This does become a page turner, and yes, there is a murder, how it is handled, well, the author does a great job, and I'll be look for more from Kerryn Mayne!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher St. Martin's Press, and was not required to give a positive review.