“The Kamogawa Food Detectives” by Hisashi Kashiwai is one of the latest translated cozy novels from Japan that does not disappoint. In this genre, new to me but clearly very popular in Japan, a number of short stories relating to a single person or place make up a whole novel. In this case, the customers of the Kamogawa Food Detectives come in asking a father-daughter duo to re-create a food of choice for their paying customers, often leading to a meaningful and touching meal relating to something or someone they care about.
Published by Penguin on February 13, 2024
Pages: 208
Source: NetGalley
The Kamogawa Food Detectives is the first book in the bestselling, mouth-watering Japanese series, for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold.
What’s the one dish you’d do anything to taste just one more time?
Down a quiet backstreet in Kyoto exists a very special restaurant. Run by Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare, the Kamogawa Diner serves up deliciously extravagant meals. But that's not the main reason customers stop by . . .
The father-daughter duo are 'food detectives'. Through ingenious investigations, they are able to recreate dishes from a person’s treasured memories – dishes that may well hold the keys to their forgotten past and future happiness. The restaurant of lost recipes provides a link to vanished moments, creating a present full of possibility.
A bestseller in Japan, The Kamogawa Food Detectives is a celebration of good company and the power of a delicious meal.
I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
My Review
This is a light read that goes really quickly. It lacks some of the depth that I’ve seen other books in the genre achieve, but it still has excellent character development of the clients to the detective agency. It also gets a bit repetitive with each character. If you’re looking for a book that has a lot of deep commentary on life and love, this isn’t the book for you. If you are looking for a book that has incredible descriptions of food and cute, cozy stories about how food affects people and their relationships, this is the one for you!
This was my first blog post ever, so if you’re here, check out another book review here: https://goodleyliving.com/days-at-the-morisaki-bookshop/.
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