Kamogawa Food Detectives

A father-daughter duo of “food detectives” sleuth their way to recreating beloved lost meals.

Felt more like tableaus flowing into one another than a novel. Nagare, is almost Holmesian in his ability to infer what clients desire from the interviews conducted by Koishi. Relentlessly cosy, but readers have zero chance at solving any of the “mysteries”. I found it unsatisfying as it’s short on detecting, focusing more on patrons’ often bittersweet stories. Not the book I thought I was getting, and I prefer something with more “meat” on its bones.

Such a cozy comfort read. The descriptors in this book are wonderful and really brought me to the setting. I enjoyed the ease at which each chapter/story began and ended. A wonderful quick read that gives all the feels.

A nice comfort read with a cute concept of a father-daughter food detective agency able to down any flavor down to the minutest aroma. Its so emblematic of the Japanese obsession with food; full of vivid food descriptions and exploring the way food intertwines with life and memories. But as for the story a whole, the cases were rather simplistic, repetitive, and left out any part of the actual flavor detective work.

This book was very Japanese: obsessed over the smallest details of recipes - where the potatoes come from or the size of breadcrumbs in millimeters. Each recipe found by the detective brings with it a back story which is heartwarming.