Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder
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4.4 • 112 Ratings
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
Includes a sneak peek of the scintillating new novel from Kerryn Mayne, Joy Moody Is Out Of Time
'With Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder, Kerryn Mayne makes a very grand entrance into the Australian literary scene. With humour, heart and characters you come to love, this is a book you will devour now, and keep thinking about later!' Sally Hepworth, author of The Good Sister
‘Such a brilliant combination of light and dark, charm and suspense. A debut you won’t forget!’ Candice Fox, author of The Chase
'Devilishly fun: top marks for Lenny Marks!' Benjamin Stevenson, author of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone
Lenny Marks is good at not remembering.
She has spent the last twenty years not thinking about the day her mother left her when she was still a child. Her stepfather’s parting words, however, remain annoyingly unforgettable: 'You did this.'
Now thirty-seven, Lenny prefers contentment and order over the unreliability of happiness and the messiness of relationships. She fills her days teaching at the local primary school, and her nights playing Scrabble with her pretend housemate, watching reruns of Friends and rearranging her thirty-six copies of The Hobbit.
Recently though, if only to appease her beloved foster-mum, Lenny has set herself the goal of ‘getting a life’.
Then, out of the blue, a letter arrives from the Adult Parole Board. And when her desperate attempts to ignore it fail, Lenny starts to unravel.
Worse, she starts to remember . . .
'An incredible debut which will have you both laughing and crying . . . This is a blackly funny, tender-hearted story of the dark and light of human nature, and ultimately, love, friendship, family and happiness.' Petronella McGovern, author of The Liars
'Kerryn Mayne takes readers on a suspenseful, deeply emotional, and sometimes humorous journey. Lenny is a unique and remarkable character, who will have readers cheering for her from the very first page... This stunning debut marks Mayne as a powerful new voice in Australian fiction.' Lisa Ireland, author of The Secret Life of Shirley Sullivan
'Compelling. Mayne breaks your heart and shows how sometimes life’s greatest mystery is the truth of our past.' R.W.R. McDonald, author of The Nancys
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Australian author Kerryn Mayne’s impressive debut, Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder, sparkles with an irrepressible lead character you can’t help but root for. Lenny Marks is a grade five teacher who loves order but feels painfully lonely. Her perfectly structured life allows her to bury the memories of a chaotic childhood, but it all begins to unravel when she learns her stepfather will be released on parole after 20 years in prison. Mayne delves deep into Lenny's psyche, crafting a superb and sensitive depiction of her intricate inner workings. Deftly executed flashbacks and interesting pop-culture references add depth and dimension to the well-crafted plot, and Mayne’s seamless mix of suspense and humour makes Lenny’s gradual journey out of solitude a memorable reading experience.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Mayne debuts with the underwhelming story of an awkward middle school teacher in Australia whose repressed childhood memories come roaring to the surface. Lenny Marks, 37, generally sticks to herself, though she bonds with her grocer Ned and her elderly neighbor Maureen. One day, Lenny drops in for a visit and finds Maureen unconscious on the floor. The sight triggers flashes of a traumatic childhood event, and Lenny begins to piece together that the scar on her thigh came from her alcoholic stepfather Fergus. The complete details of the incident come out later, after calls from a prison parole board reveal Fergus is incarcerated and that he victimized Lenny, which adds a sense of foreboding and sets the stage for a climactic showdown. Mayne convinces in her depiction of Lenny's anxious inner life, though a romantic subplot is devoid of chemistry, and a couple left-field twists contort the story rather than enhance it. This doesn't quite come together.
Customer Reviews
A great read.
Such an enjoyable book
Fabulous!
Zoomed through this book. Loved Lenny, Ned, Fay, Maureen and Kirra. Reminded me a little of Elinor oliphant. Stunning debut novel. Can’t wait to read more from this writer.
Google overview
Lenny Marks is good at not remembering.
She has spent the last twenty years not thinking about the day her mother left her when she was still a child. Her stepfather’s parting words, however, remain annoyingly unforgettable: 'You did this.'
Now thirty-seven, Lenny prefers contentment and order over the unreliability of happiness and the messiness of relationships. She fills her days teaching at the local primary school, and her nights playing Scrabble with her pretend housemate, watching reruns of Friends and rearranging her thirty-six copies of The Hobbit.
Recently though, if only to appease her beloved foster-mum, Lenny has set herself the goal of ‘getting a life’.
Then, out of the blue, a letter arrives from the Adult Parole Board. And when her desperate attempts to ignore it fail, Lenny starts to unravel.
Worse, she starts to remember . . .
On the edge of my seat
This book had me up long past my self-appointed bedtime, many nights in a row. I would find myself beginning to think, “oh, I’ll leave it here and head off to sleep”, just to be faced with another twist.
Heart wrenching, healing and oddly relatable.