Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver
- alwayswandering
- Feb 8
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 27
Here is a summary with spoilers of Leather and Lark
Lark Montague, a musician, is also a serial killer who targets predatory men. Her actions are driven by unprocessed trauma—years ago, her teacher, Mr. Vernon, sexually abused her while the school’s headmaster, Dr. Louis Campbell, condoned it. Lark keeps her violent pursuits a secret from everyone, including her best friend, Sloane, who also happens to be a serial killer and once killed Mr. Vernon on Lark’s behalf.
One night, Lark kills a predator by forcing his car off the road into a reservoir. Afterward, she calls her stepfather, Damian Covaci, a crime boss, to arrange for a cleanup crew. Among them is a large, intimidating man—Lachlan Kane—who assumes Lark caused the crash through recklessness. He openly disrespects her, then shoves her into the trunk of his car as a lesson. Panicked, Lark has a full-blown anxiety attack before managing to escape.
A year later, Lachlan speaks with his boss, Leander, while torturing a drug dealer who targets children. He expresses his desire to retire, but Leander reminds him of an unfinished task: Lachlan once cost Leander a lucrative contract with Damian Covaci by mistreating Damian’s stepdaughter, Lark. To make amends, Lachlan must find a way to fix things.
At the opening of his brother Rowan’s new restaurant, Lachlan unexpectedly crosses paths with Lark, who is attending as Sloane’s friend. They step out onto a private patio, share an intense conversation, and impulsively kiss. But the moment Lark realizes that Lachlan is the same man who once stuffed her into a trunk, she wants nothing more to do with him.
Meanwhile, a nameless figure known as the Phantom watches from the shadows. Seeking revenge on Sloane and Rowan for an unspecified wrong, he decides to strike at Lachlan—and the best way to destroy Lachlan, he determines, is by going after Lark.
A year later, Lark visits her family home as her beloved Aunt Ethel prepares to move into an assisted living facility due to a terminal illness. While there, she overhears her parents—crime syndicate leaders Nina and Damian Covaci—discussing a troubling pattern: their associates are being systematically murdered. They suspect Lachlan Kane is responsible for the killings, possibly in retaliation for Damian severing ties with him. Uncertain but unwilling to take chances, they consider killing Lachlan—and possibly Rowan—to eliminate any future threats. Ethel subtly warns Lark that the only way to guarantee Rowan’s safety is to marry Lachlan, as her parents would never harm a member of the family.
At Sloane and Rowan’s wedding, Lark lays out the situation to Lachlan. Understanding that his brother’s life is at stake, he agrees to a marriage of convenience. Together, they begin investigating the murders linked to Lark’s parents. Along the way, they find themselves trapped in an elevator, triggering Lark’s claustrophobia and forcing Lachlan to recognize the lingering trauma he inflicted on her. Later, Lachlan searches Lark’s apartment and discovers a hidden stash of murder trophies. When he confronts her, she confesses everything.
In an attempt to help her, Lachlan surprises Lark with a weekend getaway at a sleep retreat. That night, he presents her with an unexpected gift: Dr. Louis Campbell, the man who enabled her abuser. Forced to face her past, Lark takes her revenge, killing Campbell.
Shortly after, a man named Abe Midus visits Lachlan’s leather shop, claiming to need a broken saddle repaired. There is something unnervingly intense about him—his religious fervor, his calculated words. When Lark arrives, Abe studies her briefly before leaving. Lachlan, unsettled, warns Lark to be cautious. Later, when Lark tries to get closer to him, Lachlan gently pulls away, stating that he won’t pursue anything physical until he earns her trust.
Meanwhile, Sloane hints that she knows about Lark’s secret life and assures her that she loves her regardless. Feeling lighter, Lark finds herself able to write music again. The night of her first performance in months, she forgives Lachlan, and they finally sleep together. As their relationship deepens, they narrow down their list of suspects.
Elsewhere, the Phantom visits Aunt Ethel at her assisted living facility, posing as a nurse. Though she realizes he’s there to kill her, she remains defiant until the end. He injects her with a lethal dose of medication, silencing her forever.
Later, Lark meets up with her friend Rose, who is dating Lachlan’s brother, Fionn. Rose is happy to see Lark thriving, but the moment is cut short when Lark receives devastating news—Ethel has died. As she processes the loss, she makes plans to meet Lachlan at the facility. However, before she can get there, she is abducted.
Just as Lachlan realizes something is wrong, he pieces together the truth—Abe Midus is the kidnapper. Along with Rose, Lachlan tracks down Abe’s hideout across the street from Lark’s apartment.
Lark regains consciousness inside an oven, with Abe standing outside the glass, watching her. When Lachlan arrives, Abe forces him to choose: save Lark or save Rowan, whose car is rigged with a bomb. A violent struggle ensues—Lachlan and Rose manage to kill Abe and rescue Lark, though Rose is shot in the process.
A few weeks later, as Lark and Lachlan discuss upcoming holiday plans, Lachlan surprises her with a series of gifts. First, he presents her with Dr. Louis Campbell’s heart, now encased in resin—an unsettling but poetic token of her vengeance. Then, he hands her a honeymoon itinerary and, finally, divorce papers. He tells her she is free to walk away, that he refuses to trap her in something she doesn’t want. Without hesitation, Lark tears up the divorce papers and kisses him.
In the epilogue, Lark and Lachlan embark on their honeymoon in Indonesia, finally free to embrace their future together.
Thanks Super Summary
