The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai

In a nondescript building in Kyoto, people come to the restaurant owned by Nagare Kamogawa and his daughter, Koishi, to taste a dish that reminds them of a particular time in their life. In this first book in the series, the stories of six individuals are told. Nagara's former co-worker Hideji, from when they were both in the police force, is craving nabeyaki-udon that his first wife made. If Hideji can get Nagare to make the food, he can then pass on the recipe to the woman who he is moving to Takasaki with. Another tale is about a woman named Asuka who wants to eat napolitan spaghetti that she had on a trip with her grandfather when she was young. In addition to learning about the lives of the six people hiring the Kamogawa detectives, the reader also gains insight into the father-daughter pair and their cat, Drowsy. A feel-good read...