The Red Lacquer Case

The Red Lacquer Case
One of Patricia Wentworth’s early stand-alone mysteries, The Red Lacquer Case mixes espionage, romance, and adventure rather than the drawing-room detection of her later Miss Silver books. The story follows Anne Courtenay, a young Englishwoman living in Paris, who stumbles into a deadly plot involving a stolen diplomatic document hidden inside a distinctive red lacquer case. Pursued by ruthless agents and unsure which charming gentleman she can trust, Anne is swept across France and into danger. The narrative moves quickly through secret meetings, code names, disguises, and sudden reversals, as Wentworth explores themes of loyalty, courage, and the ambiguities of international intrigue after World War I. The book showcases her flair for placing an ordinary heroine in extraordinary circumstances, combining light romance with mounting suspense and a cosmopolitan backdrop. It’s an early example of the “romantic thriller” formula that Wentworth would refine throughout the 1920s and 1930s.