Wednesday, July 10, 2024

Review: Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder by Kerryn Mayne

 


Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder by Kerryn Mayne
Publication Date: July 9th 2024 by St. Martin's Press & Macmillan Audio
Pages: 352
Audio Book Length: 9hrs 41min
Narrator: Annie Maynard
Source: Publishers
Rating: ½

My Thoughts:
Elementary school teacher, Lenny Marks finds peace in routine, finding contentment in life rather than striving for happiness, a fleeting feeling, in her experience. She’s fine with coming home every day to her favorite show, Friends, and “playing scrabble with Monica”.  However, when she receives a letter from the parole board her carefully constructed life starts to unravel. Flashes of her childhood start coming back, a different version than she’s allowed herself to remember.
 
I completely adored Lenny and her matter-of-fact way she approached life, but I did hope for more for her! I knew things weren’t quite the way she remembered them, and I was eager to find out what exactly happened in her past! Some of these revelations were heartbreaking! I was happy as Lenny started waking up, taking charge, and making changes. I was fully on board with Lenny’s unlawful activities, such as with Malcom the dog and well, other things best left out of this review.
 
I absolutely loved this story! It started out sedate and quiet and ended up with some twisty revelations. I rooted for Lenny throughout her journey and there was even a bit of romance by the end!
 
I alternately listened to and read the story and I can recommend either version. Annie Maynard’s performance was fantastic, her Aussie accent wonderful and she brought Lenny’s quirky personality to life! I listened at my normal 1.5x normal speed. 

4.5 Stars


Book Description:

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.


10 comments:

  1. Nice and sedate and then getting twisty. I like that

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  2. If you liked this one that much, I'm pretty sure I'll like it, too. :D

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  3. I'm sure I would like it also.

    Anne - Books of My Heart

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  4. Yes, this one does have me curious. Glad it was a fun surprise.

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  5. I liked Lenny a lot too. The book took such a dark turn. I really didn't expect it. I enjoyed it though and was also rooting for Lenny to be able to overcome her past.

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  6. Nice surprise and I would love to read this one.

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  7. I saw this on another blog. Glad it was a good one.
    sherry @ fundinmental

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  8. This one sounds interesting! I might have to check it out, because it sounds like it could be a perfect gift for my mother.

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  9. I've been seeing some great reviews for this one! It sounds like Lenny had a lot to unpack.

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  10. The quirkiness of the heroine and the whole story sounds really good! I'll have to add it to my TBR after your review and another I read. Thanks for sharing it!
    Lisa Loves Literature

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