My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons.
I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Food Mystery, Asian Literature, Japanese Literature

THE KAMOGAWA FOOD DETECTIVES is a bestselling series in Japan, and I read a translated copy.

This book will appeal to people who have traveled to Japan, love Japanese cuisine, and who enjoy low stakes mysteries. Because it's Japanese, it doesn't have the same story structure as American novels. Nope, not at all.

Here's the basic structure:
- What? You found our shop when we only have a one line advertisement?
- So, you want this same dish that you ate in your past...
- Two weeks later: You get to eat your nostalgic meal, and you're very happy.
- Dad explains why that meal was important to that person.

I actually enjoyed this book. The relaxed pace was a great break from high-pressure stories. And I happen to love food, so that was fun too.

It made me wonder what dish I would hire them to make for me...

This book is perfect. Yep—it's not going to be like other books you read this year, but that's not why you're going to pick it up. You're going to love the deep dive into Japanese literature and the sublime use of mystery in cooking.

Happy reading!

Hidden on a back street in Kyoto, the Kamogawa Diner serves up extravagant feasts but also doubles as a detective agency. Koishi Kamogawa and her father, Nagare, investigate and recreate treasured memorable meals for their clients.

This is a charming, low-stakes mystery with comforting vignettes and delicious descriptions of the dishes prepared. It does feel a bit repetitive as each case follows the same format and ends with a description of the cafe's resident cat, so perhaps best read as a palate cleanser or as a sentimental reminder of beloved Japanese foods.

Thank you so much to Putnam and Netgalley for this book to review!

The Kamogawa Food Detectives is about Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare who run a diner and also a food investigation business. If you are looking for a recipe for a dish that you've never stopped thinking about, they're the place to go.
I loved that instead of it being one long novel, it was more like a series of short stories with different customers searching for recipes from the past. I also really enjoyed that Negare understands what his customers are really looking for instead of just a recipe.

Pleasant, albeit formulaic, stories about tracking down distinct foods of mostly nostalgic value for people. The book reminded me a bit of Midnight Diner, but didn't have that show's sense of humor. The food was described well, but the stakes were so low and the end result never in doubt.

The Kamogawa Food detectives is best described as a cozy food pseudomystery. While I can appreciate what it’s trying to accomplish, the story fell flat for me. The book is divided up into six “cases” which were all quite repetitive.
1. Client locates the Kamogawa Diner and remarks about how difficult it was to find from that one line advert in a magazine.
2. Client is served food from a set menu, which is of course, highly delicious.
3. Client is brought into the back room to describe the meal they would like Nagare to recreate for them. The description is always hopelessly vague and dreamlike.
4. Nagare mentions that this will be a tough case to crack, and Drowsy the cat tries to rub up on a customer.
5. Nagare recreates the dish flawlessly and the client is pleased.

Lather, rinse, repeat for 200 pages. I enjoyed the concept, but I was tired of rereading the same story over and over again. Thank you for NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was disappointed by this one. I was expecting a cozy mystery, but instead got shallow, tell-not-show stories. As charming as the main characters were, I really wish I got to follow on their journey of uncovering these mysteries instead of reading about it all at once at the grand reveal.

I also found the sub=plot subpar. It didn't add anything to the characters' personalities or development.

Overall, I would recommend this book is someone needs a palette cleanser book or is in a slump, but I wouldn't say it's my favorite book.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for providing an ebook for review consideration.
All opinions are my own.

"The Kamogawa Diner" is a charming Japanese bestseller now translated to English. Each chapter reads like its own short story, with a soon-familiar structure: we meet a character making their way to the diner, follow them through an initial meal and making their request for the recreation of a meal they’ve had before and long for, then eventually see them enjoy that meal and hear how it was achieved.

As someone new to the linked short story structure, I found it repetitive at first, but it quickly established a cozy atmosphere that drew me in.

In each chapter I was pulled through the story by wanting to hear the steps and consideration Nagare went through to solve the mystery of the client’s food and to help them have that nostalgic dish again. This book has piqued my interest in Japanese fiction, and I’ve already started to add more to my TBR.

The only thing I was left longing for in this book was a deeper understanding of the main characters. Despite the current approach helping me feeling like a distant observer at the diner, I am left hoping for more insight into Nagare, Koishi, and maybe even Tae in future installments.

I’ll be recommending this book to:
* Nostalgic Foodies: For those who I know would have their own request of Nagare at the Kamogawa Diner.
* My Cozy Gamer Friends: If you enjoy the comforting atmosphere of cozy games where you're tasked with solving challenges for new acquaintances, you'll feel right at home.

A pleasant concept, but without the emotional impact of the oft-compared Before the Coffee Gets Cold. Still, I enjoyed discovering the reasons food is meaningful to various visitors. It was a great book to tuck into alongside my dinner for a few evenings. I actually found the repetitions pleasing, and the descriptions of food were mouth-watering. And the relationship of Nagare and his wife were by far my favorite part.

This book has a great concept and hook: the father-daughter food detectives can help recreate any dish from your memories, no matter how difficult it is to obtain ingredients or how much time has passed since you've had it. Kashiwai expertly captures life in Kyoto and many of the regional dishes. This is a nostalgic and pleasant read.

I didn't know that mysteries can also be light reading, but for The Kamogawa Food Detectives, yes, it is. The title is pretty self-explanatory, and the breakdown of how they solved their "cases" is certainly creative. This is a nice fresh spin on stories involving retired detectives. My only problem with this book is that reading it left me hungry.

This book follows a father-daughter duo that run a restaurant also operate this "detective agency" where people can come in with a distinct food memory and they try to re-create the dish. This is so cozy and wholesome and would be great for anyone who enjoys calming cooking shows and/or the Japanese reality show Terrace House.

Thank you Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The January rain in San Francisco always makes me want to curl up with a blanket, a steaming mug, and a cozy book. After the rush of holidays, it’s nice to use the quiet space to rest my body and my spirit. So I have been looking especially forward to this next ARC of The Kamogawa Food Detectives. (Thanks to NetGalley and for the gift copy!)

The premise is simple: a father-daughter duo run a cute little café, which also serves that as the home of their “food detective agency”. They specialize in recreating recipes with the scarcest details - a type of food, a few hints as to its taste. It sounds charming, but can it stay entertaining for the full duration of the book?

The power of food

From the very first story, it’s clear that The Kamogawa Food Detectives has a Perspective on food. In these stories, meals are rituals and experiences worth savoring. Kashiwa and Kirkwood describe each item of food in mouthwatering detail, and it’s easy to understand why the cafe’s patrons keep coming back for more.

It’s about more than just the taste and diversity of the dishes, though. The Kamogawa Food Detectives demonstrates vividly how and why food can impact our memory and our spirit. While the stories range from the common (a widower wishing for one last taste of his late wife’s recipe) to the tricky (a patron trying to recreate a fond travel memory from decades past), they share a common, melancholy core. Each of the agency’s customers is in some phase of transition, and the food from the agency is almost permission from the universe to move forward. It’s about more than the food - it’s about how each dish ties to the memory of care and love.

Culinary puzzles

You could be forgiven for expecting that there’s not much actual detecting going on here. After all, how much work could recreating a dish truly be? But Kashiwa makes sure that the puzzles are difficult, both due to lapses in patrons’ memory and the challenge in perfectly recreating a flavor. Our protagonists battle both the ravages of time and the idiosyncrasies and personal nature of cooking in each solve.

The result are stories with immense attention to detail in each element of the food. Small hints about a customer’s origin can lead to long treks to hunt down specific ingredients, each sourced with love and care. Reading each solution has the feeling of a magic trick, of watching master at work. As a food lover myself, I couldn’t help but be awed at the creativity and attention to detail required to set up so many puzzles. It’s not exactly “fair play” - I’m not even close to having enough intuition for Japanese food ingredients to engage - it it’s so wonderfully constructed I didn’t really mind.

Nagare, our main detective, is no passive protagonist, either. He does extensive research, including traveling to relevant sites. Not only that, it’s clear that he practices his dishes until he can get them just perfect. “Pure” mysteries can sometimes valorize detachment, and it’s lovely to see a character who care so much for his clients.

Short stories, big flavor

I'm a pretty fast binge reader, and if I could change one thing about my reading experience of The Kamogawa Food Detectives, I would take it more slowly. While the stories within are related to each other by the protagonists, they're otherwise relatively independent. And like any good slice of life style story, they follow the same structure, which can be both comforting and repetitive. I ate up all the stories like little potato chips, but now I find myself wishing I'd savored them more. They're a perfect little end-of-night read, a little warm mental hug... and I wish I had extended that as long as I could.

Reader’s notes and rating (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

I adored this book, and drank it up like a steaming cup of carrot-ginger soup. (In fact, it made me so hungry that I went and got Japanese food the next day…) Reading this is like reading the coziest mystery, with all the murder-y bits removed. If you’re looking for something to snuggle up with, you can do no better than this read. (And if you’re looking for a more interactive version - you can try playing Hungry Hearts Diner, possibly the cutest restaurant simulation game I found in 2023. My one caveat - it might be best read as a series of short stories rather than in a longer sitting… But for what it is - perfection. Four stars.

Read this if...

You think cozy mysteries would be even better with less murder (but real puzzles)

You love food

You're looking for a book that's like a fast, warm hub

Skip this if...

You think mystery must mean murder

You skip all the relationship-y bits in cozy mysteries

You want a novel-length read

A magical diner? Sign me up! Also, the cover art for every edition is gorgeous! The cat in a bowl on the US cover?? Amazing!

A father daughter duo in a cafe in Kyoto, tracking down the ingredients and re-creating beloved dishes for their clients. It’s sweet, it’s cozy, and I loved every second of this one!

Each story is broken up into two parts: meeting the client/ hearing their story, and the recreated meal. The timeline jumps from part one to part two, so we don’t see the actual detective work. The client leaves, then returns and we the audience get to hear the tale of how the duo found the recipe, alongside the client.

Last year I read a few books in the “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” series, another translated body of work. I *loved* it. I’ve been trying to integrate more translated works into my tbr. When I heard the premise of this one, I ran to NetGalley to request an ARC!

Thank you to the author, publisher, & NetGalley for my advanced digital copy!

I loved this! The premise, the exquisite descriptions of the food, and the father-daughter relationship all were particularly well-constructed. The different reasons people had for the dishes they were hoping to recreate were very moving. I highly recommend this read — I finished it in a day — and eagerly await the sequel!

final rating: 3.5/5 🍱

thank you to netgalley and penguin group for this adorable arc!!!!!

this was sooooo cute and cozy! just what i needed to clear my head <3 i really did get some before the coffee gets cold vibes from this, in a very good way. it was similar enough to give me the same vibes, but i'm happy that the plot was very different.

the writing style was a bit on the plain side, and it was kinda a bummer that we didn't get to see how nagare "solved" the cases until the end of each chapter, but it was still really nice! my rating would've been a bit higher if there was more stuff happening in the chapters, but again, that's to be expected from a cute little book like this one :D despite not getting a ton of info about the characters, i found myself getting attached to pretty much all of them. without getting too spoilery, there were a few that really stood out to me.

definitely grab this in your local library or bookstore on february 13th!!

Meet Mr. Kamogawa, a retired detective who, alongside his daughter, discreetly operates a fusion restaurant and detective agency. The restaurant intentionally keeps its location under wraps, and the advertisement cleverly avoids divulging the address. Craving the nostalgic flavors of your favorite dish from the past? If so, track down Mr. Kamogawa and his daughter for a flavorful journey.

The Kamogawa Diner specializes in "lost recipes," where patrons engage the Food Detectives—a former cop father and his contemporary daughter—to unlock cherished memories through their distinctive investigations. This culinary process involves skillfully recreating dishes from the customer's past, potentially holding the keys to forgotten moments and future happiness. The restaurant of lost recipes serves as a conduit to vanished memories, weaving a present brimming with delectable possibilities.

This book shines as an exceptional "feel-good" read. My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley and Hisashi Kashiwai for generously providing an advance copy of this amazing book.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

What more could you ask for, food, family, beautiful writing and sensitive storytelling? I want this to be a cooking show, because I would follow it religiously. What a lovely little book. The only thing I request is more Drowsy the cat!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Koishi Kamogawa and her father, Nagare, own and operate a diner in Kyoto called Kamogawa Diner. Not only do they cook delicious meals, but they can help people to figure out dishes they have had in their past and recreate them. Hence,
given the name the Kamogawa Food Detectives. When a family friend, Hideji, stops by to not only eat, but to ask them to help recreate a certain flavor from the dish Nabeyaki-udon. He wanted it just like his deceased wife used to make it. No matter how many times he tries to do it, it’s not quite right. Can they figure out the recipe in a 2-week time frame? Will it be just like his late wife’s?

Each chapter highlights a different customer asking them to figure out a recipe from their past. Will they be successful each time? This book will have you turning the pages to find out.

I loved how the food detectives were a father/daughter team! I also loved all the food and cultural traditions mentioned in this book. It made for an entertaining and fun read! A great book to take on vacation or read on a long winter’s day!

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam (G.P. Putnam's Sons), I was provided an ARC of The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy of this title.

I really loved this story.

**Thank you to Net Galley for my advance reader copy

This book is cozy, atmospheric, and follows a predictable routine each chapter. We meet a new client seeking detective services to track down and recreate a dish of their past from father-daughter duo Koishi and Negare, each of the six chapters. Each client waits two weeks, then returns to the cafe to try their dish. Our entire world exists within the cafe, while events from outside it are relayed back by Negare to the client.
If you are looking for a cozy mystery, this is not that. I found this quick paced, so it was easy to knock out in one sitting. It's a relatively light read but has themes of loss, grief, and misunderstanding woven throughout in similar style to Before the Coffee Gets Cold. I really enjoyed learning more about Japanese foods, culture, and geography as the detective work revolves around tracking each clients past through Japan and the ingredients they feel nostalgic for.
I'd recommend this to anyone who is looking for something heartwarming, especially during these cold, winter months!