A series of short episodic stories, perfect to whet the appetite!

This is such a lovely cosy read, a good book to dip into as the days shorten, but don't read it if you're the slightest bit hungry! I listened to the audiobook at night and fell asleep to the sound of my stomach growling!

The book is made up of chapters or parts centring around a dish, behind each dish is a character who finds the elusive Kamogawa Food Detective Agency, in a small diner, the diner run by a retired detective, and the agency run by his daughter. For each customer who finds them, wanting to relive a part of their past through a particular dish they remember, Kioshi, the daughter, takes the details of the dish, the setting, and what they can remember, and her father, Nagare, does the legwork, culminating in the recreation of the dish and the customer discovering as they eat it, why it was so important to them in the first place.

As the customer eats the dish Nagare cooks, the food descriptions are vivid, the sourcing of the ingredients, descriptions of the cooking method, not necessarily enough for the readeer/listener to recreate the dish themselves, but it was certainly enough to make my mouth water, and make me want to try.

This is a short book, and easy to read or listen to in parts as the story behind each character and dish are self-contained, though Nagare and Kioshi's thread binds them together. The only thing I would have liked more of is more backstory or depth to Nagare and Kioshi, their relationship, the origins of the diner, and where they might be heading. We get to see the customer's stories and motivations unfold, but, while little details are revealed about the two proprietors here and there, sprinkled in, much like Drowsy the cat's appearances, we end the book still knowing very little about them. I wonder what their chosen dishes would be?

Poignant in places, touching, and lovingly told, I recommend this to anyone who loves Japanese fiction, Japanese food, food as memory, nostalgia, and bittersweet stories.

The audiobook was really well narrated, it is a lovely and an easy listen.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Father and daughter, Nagare and Koyshi, run a restaurant/food detective business in a restaurant on a quiet street in Kyoto.
While their restaurant can barely be found on a map, news of their food detective services travelled far. The charming duo are able to do something incredible - recreate well loved dishes from people's past by simply having the customer describe the little details about the dishes that they still remember.

Each chapter focuses on the story of a new customer that finds this hidden gem of a restaurant and puts their trust in the two food detectives to give them some much missed comfort and happiness by making a dish from their past. Along the way we also get to see more of the family dynamic, with their adorable yet not always appreciated cat also making an appearance.

The father and daughter were both very charismatic and knew how to make the customers feel comfortable to share more personal details which in turn always resulted in a happy and melancholic experience even if the premise of the story wasn't the most positive to begin with. Also, the food descriptions made me hungry to no end and it being such a short and sweet read it will become a comfort read..

Thank you so much to Macmillan UK and Netgalley for providing me with an audio ARC in exchange of an honest review!

3.5 stars

This was a cosy read and very comforting.
A great duo of a father and daughter! They replicate foods from someone’s past that they might have enjoyed.
Each chapter focuses on different people’s memories and backstories, which can be very interesting.
This brought back memories of me when I was little eating my grandmother's soup.
I love translated literature it’s my new favourite.

Thank you Netgalley for my ACR.

A delicious voyage of detective mysteries!

A hard-to-find place in Japan performs 2 major tasks. Serve delicious food and help their customers find their beloved dishes from the lost memory lanes. This detective agency specializes in solving the mystery around the unforgotten dishes that leave a mark on people's lives.

The book progresses with a sequence sequence of unsolved cases of people who are in the pursuit of tasting the unforgettable food once again. It is truly for the fans of Japanese delicacies who appreciate great food.

Thank you @netgalley @macmillan.audio @mantlepressbooks for the digital ARC.

Genre: #japanease #contemporaryfiction #food
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

My first Japanese book and I really enjoyed it. I listened to the audio version of the book and the narrator's voice was just what it needed to be in line with the book.

The story itself was very interesting and even if I don't normally eat lots of Japanese food, it made me hungry most of the time listening and now even wanting some of the dishes they cooked.

This book also gave me some "The Why Cafe" book vibes which I loved a lot.

Totally recommend the book as it's easy to listen and I assume to read; it's short and even if it's translated from Japanese to English I feel like it's an easy one.

I also hope they will translate the following books from the series and I would really enjoy listening to or reading them.

Last, I would like to thank NetGalley, the author and Macmillian UK Audio for offering me an audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A daughter-father detective /resto owner tandem. Very Before the Coffee Gets Cold vibes! The restauranteurs offers investigation & are capable of bringing memories back to customers through dishes.

My 3rd Japanese read and now is making me want for more! There is always something deep with these Niponggo translated reads no matter how simple they present themselves, something personal at times. Plus it relives my 2010 Japanese experience.

This was an extremely cosy and wholesome read which I really enjoyed on audio (and was especially appreciative of the fact that the publisher chose a bilingual narrator - Hanoko Footman’s voice is very comforting and her reading was beautifully clear!)

The book can be read as a collection of short stories that are threaded together with the continual comforting presence of the father-daughter detective-duo, Nagare and Kioshi. In this sense it can make for a similar reading experience to Before the Coffee Gets Cold, as the chapters can be read as standalones each taking place in the same location. However, I think readers approaching the novel looking for something very similar to Before the Coffee Gets Cold will be somewhat disappointed as The Kamogawa Food Detectives doesn’t achieve nearly the emotional resonance of the Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series. Partly, because we don’t spend enough time with the clients for their stories to have much emotional impact but also the lives of the Nagare and Kioshi is underexplored and this felt like a missed opportunity in terms of creating something deeply moving. In contrast, Before the Coffee Gets Cold explores the lives of those working in the café to this effect. In The Kamogawa Food Detectives there is a little of this with Kioshi’s deceased mother but even this is backgrounded.

I really enjoyed the habit of listening to the two parts of a story on my lunch break whilst making my own meal - this book will make you hungry so making food at the same is highly advised!

I can definitely see myself picking up the audio copies of the subsequent book in the series when they are published in English translation, but I think the physical copies would be a miss for me.

This was a very sweet and cozy story. I can see the appeal, and the comparison to Before the Coffee Gets Cold, but for me it lacked subtance. The concept was great, helping people find and recreate dishes that are important to them emotionally, but we didn't get to see any of the actual cooking OR detective work, it was just explained atfterwards. There was not much depth in the stories either, and we didn't get any real character development from the main characters either.

This book embodies everything I love about Japanese translated fiction - beautifully written, gentle in pace and plot, heart-warming but also tugs on the heart strings.

With interesting characters, moving storylines and descriptions of food that makes your mouth water, I adored this book from beginning to end.

Perfect for readers who enjoyed the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series.

I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator to be fantastic and really complement the

A heart warming and joyous read, brought expertly to life by a wonderful narrator. A simple yet magical book that I highly recommend!

I enjoyed the description and depiction of this story. It's a genre of its own as I expected more of a cosy crime, but it was more about exploring the history of food and the memories we associate with the dishes we eat. A comforting listen!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian UK Audio for accepting me to be a pre-publication reviewer of this audiobook. The narration by Hanako Footman was performed very well, it’s clear and pleasant to listen to.

This book centres around a cute but mostly unknown Kyoto restaurant called the Kamogawa Diner where the father-daughter duo of Nagare and Koishi serve up masterful dishes. But this isn’t all they do because they’ve discreetly put an add announcing themselves as ‘food detectives’ where only those who truly need the service will search them out. It can be read as a novel in that the two main, and some other, characters return but each chapter does in essence read like a short story. Each of the six stories is split into two parts, the first where the customer arrives at the diner and explains to Koishi what the dish they need recreating is and why it means so much to them. They then come back in part two, are served up the dish and Nagare reveals how he went about investigating the dish and it’s ingenious recreation. This same pattern is prevalent in each story so you know what’s going to happen. Maybe some of the investigation leaves a little to be desired as Nagare just tells the customer how he did it where actually showing it might’ve been more interesting but the fast, and consistent, pace meant the book flowed well and I was still excited to hear how he recreated the dish. Something I really like is how each customer does have a different reason for coming there and it’s nice to see how experiencing the dish again helps them, be it thinking back and looking forward.

Overall, this was a very decent read and one I’d certainly recommend. It’s easy to get through and on the whole is a pleasant reading experience. I am interested to continue with the series but as I wasn’t blown away it’s not at the top of my list.

DO NOT READ ON AN EMPTY STOMACH!!!!

This book was just magical ! I finished it in one day… I could not put it down!
The descriptions of the food was just … well perfection!
I feel like I could re create the meals just from reading the descriptions! And oh boy I will try and recreate the dishes mentioned in the book!
But tonight? Let’s settle on some udon and miso.

This book was truly fantastic. I liked almost every character accept the last client.
Both father and daughter were super likelable and energetic, they created an amazing team together.

I will definitely re read this book soon. It’s a perfect quick read when you want something relaxing and fun to read.

100/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I gave The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai 5 stars

Down a quiet backstreet in Kyoto exists a very special restaurant. Run by Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare, the Kamogawa Diner treats its customers to wonderfully extravagant meals. But that's not the main reason to stop by . . .

The father-daughter duo have started advertising their services as 'food detectives'. Through ingenious investigations, they are capable of recreating a dish from their customers' pasts – dishes that may well hold the keys to forgotten memories and future happiness.

From the widower looking for a specific noodle dish that his wife used to cook, to a first love's beef stew, the restaurant of lost recipes provides a link to the past – and a way to a more contented future.

-------- REVIEW --------
When the book finished, I just wanted more! A good sign that I really enjoyed this wholesome book. Divided into 6 shorter stories, we get to read about the food detectives trying to figure out recipes with only a few clues to go by - a scent, color, place or year. But not only that, the detectives also solve mysteries around life, old memories and relationships.

One thing is for sure, you'll be hungry reading this book. All the mouthwatering descriptions make the story come alive. Since I have been to Kyoto a couple of years ago, this book was extra fun to listen too. The narrator for this audiobook did an amazing job and I hope there will be a second book with more food mysteries.

This book comes out in English 05 Oct.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan UK Audio for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cxx1gd8LZTE/

This was a lovely, cosy, feel good read featuring a father/daughter duo helping to recreate important dishes for their clients.
The translation was great and the narrator did an excellent job. I will look forward to continuing this series.
Warning- do not read on an empty stomach, this book will make you hungry for good food as well as good company.

Thanks to Macmillan UK audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this heart warming book

I really enjoyed this book, it felt more like a little collection of short stories than a novel. I listened to it via audio book and that worked so well.
It was a very simple book but that worked so well for these stories, all the complex emotions, pasts and foods the characters were bringing stood out better for the simple surroundings. This book made me hungry for good food and hungry for more stories from the Kamogawa Food Detectives.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC of the audio book

This wonderful book by Kashiwai, translated by Jesse Kirkwood, is food for the soul. A father-daughter duo in Kyoto own a little unassuming restaurant down a side street, calling themselves food detectives, they claim to be able to capture recipes from peoples keenest memories, recipes lost through time, or the death of a loved one. It is wonderful to meet the customers who seek their expertise, such as the genteel man in search of the recipe his wife used to make before she passed. The customers' stories are heart-warming, and it is so satisfying and beautiful to see their dream foods realised alongside the precious memories they evoke. A wonderful hug in a book. #thekamogawafooddetectives #hisashikashiwai #netgalley

Full review at: bethanys-bookshelf.blogspot.com

What meal takes you back? For me, it’s the grilled spam and mushrooms my dad used to make me for breakfast, the soup my grandparents made every weekend after a roast dinner, and the Chinese takeaway my partner and I used to get all the time when we started dating. Those warm, fond nostalgic memories and more came to life in this beautifully sweeping story.

We are immediately thrown into a vivid, richly descriptive world in a quiet street hidden in a bustling city - a moment of calm and reflection . Everything from the people, the places and of course the food was so clear i could almost taste it, making a truly absorbing story that I didn’t want to end.

The storytelling was careful, patient but playful — it moved at a leisurely but never slow pace and a repetitive pattern that felt familiar instead of boring. It all kept the relaxing, cosy vibe of the book going and by the end of the first chapter I was entirely immersed in the quiet but powerful lull of the narrative and the voice of the narrator was clear and easy to connect with which made it even more absorbing. Each meal, each chapter captured a different feeling so evocatively; love, loss, longing — and we feel them all with the people coming to the Kamogawa Diner searching for not only a long-lost meal but the memories they rekindle.



It felt like a collection of short stories, a collection of memories that all come together in one place to be remembered, every customer bringing their own history and feelings into the Diner and leaving a little something behind when the next customer enters. Beautifully nostalgic, cosy, and delicious — this book is an absolute delight.

I’d heard only good things about this book, so when I had the chance to review the audiobook I jumped at it!

This is an incredibly sweet, whimsical set of stories about the ‘food detectives’ – a father and daughter duo who recreate a particular meal from someone’s past. It’s not just about the ingredients, but where they’re from, the kitchen they were cooked in, and so much more.

The book is split into six parts, each one about a different person who has come to the detectives looking for a meal. These people are from all walks of life, and they each have their own reasons for visiting the detectives, but they all come away having found something unexpected. Some of them reconnect with their family, living or dead, while others discover a secret they didn’t know about their family history.

The through-thread of all the stories is Nagare and Koishi, the father and daughter who run the detective agency. Their relationship is so sweet, and layered, and over the course of the book we get more and more glimpses into their lives as we build up a picture of who they are.

This kind of book is really well-suited to an audiobook. It’s a short, light listen, and the narrator is excellent too. I had a wonderful time listening to this book and I highly recommend it!

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.

“Never could resist a good case, could you?”

So firstly the audiobook narration was really good. I loved how they narrated the story and it kept me wanting to listen to one more chapter.

This book centres around a father daughter duo who run a restaurant in Kyoto and are also food detectives. People come to them and explain a dish from their past they want to eat, exactly the way they remember and they will recreate the dish exactly with some ingenuity and research.
In doing so it unlocks memories for these customers or gives them a new perspective on something in their past and so helps them in their present.

This book is so heart warming and sweet and i loved the father daughter relationship and how they help their customers through food.
I was so invested in all their stories and how they each had a unique experience that they were able to help. Whether it was accepting change or mending bridges we get to go through the journey with them.

This book is filled with incredible dishes that left my mouth watering and craving everything! So be warned do not read on an empty stomach!

Also most importantly there’s a tabby cat that has decided that they now live at the restaurant and they name the cat drowsy!

If you enjoy books like Before the Coffee Gets Cold then I think you would also enjoy this!