Menu of Happiness by Hisashi Kashiwai

In this third volume of the Kamogawa Food Detective Series, people again come to Kyoto to have chef Nagare and his daughter Koishi make a meal that reminds them of a specific time in their lives. There's Sakyo, a former dancer, who wants the duo to make him the kake soba he ate with his father from whom he is now estranged. While Nobuo, who makes the laquerware that the restaurant uses, wants a curry and rice dish made by his daughter before she went to prison. Nobuo wants to be able to share the dish with his grandson. In addition, Yumiko, a former pianist, wants to eat the yakisoba a former boyfriend cooked for her. Knowing that Nagare and Koishi are always successful in their mission provides the reader with a cozy enjoyable read.

The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly

Mickey Haller is now involved in civil court as a lawyer. For his latest case, he had taken a woman named Brenda Randolph as a client. On her behalf, he is suing the tech company, Tidalwaiv, because he believes their chatbot encouraged a teenage boy to kill his ex-girlfriend, Brenda's daughter Becca. As the trial begins, Mickey believes he has a good chance at winning, but it seems Tidalwaiv is possibly intimidating witnesses and spying on Mickey and his team. Will Mickey prevail in court? The Proving Ground takes the reader through the whole trial with all its ups and downs.

The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park by Michiko Aoyama

There are several people who could use the help of the plastic hippo that resides in a park in a Tokyo neighborhood. Kabahiko the hippo is said to be able to help people in their time of need, just by the person touching him. The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park recounts the five people Kabahiko helps who all live in the five story building Advance Hill. There's Kanato (a student who is not doing well in his new school despite getting good grades at his previous one), Sawa (who struggles to fit in with the mom clique at her daughter's school) , Chiharu (a wedding planner who had to take a medical leave from work due to ear problems), ten-year old Yuyu (another recent transplant to the area who fakes an injury that then becomes real) and, lastly, Kazuhiko (who wants to improve his relationship with his mother who lives nearby). A cozy story similar to the Kamogawa Food Detectives series.

The Killer Question by Janice Hallett

Married couple Sue and Mal Eastwood operated a pub in Hertfordshire called "The Case is Altered." They owned the establishment for two years before it closed. Now, five years later, their nephew Dominic is shopping the story of what happened to them to various media outlets as a true crime documentary.  The Killer Question lets the reader observe through text messages and other communications the lives of Sue and Mal when they owned the pub, especially the controversies that arose around the weekly trivia quiz they held on Monday nights. The situation gets even murkier when a body is found nearby.  Author Hallett keeps the reader on the edge of their seat with a really original story that takes many twists and turns. If you enjoy novels that have a really good puzzle, this book is a must read.

Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa

Ning, a former boxer, owns a nail salon where she employs four other women. She requires them to all have black hair cut to the same length and go by the name Susan while they are working. Pick a Color recounts a day at the salon through Ning's eyes as customers come and go. All the women speak the same foreign language, so they are able to converse and joke without the customers knowing what they are saying. The novel explores what's its like to be an Asian woman and the owner of a small service industry business.

Murder in Miniature by Katie Tietjen

It's 1947 and Maple Bishop is on firm financial footing. Her dollhouse business is booming and she is a consultant to the local police department in the small Vermont town where she lives. The authorities ask for Maple's help after Daniel, a local firefighter, is found dead following a fire in his home. Daniel was a childhood friend of Kenny, a police deputy who is devastated by Daniel's death. With Daniel having run with a rough crowd when he lived in Boston, Maple and Kenny wonder if his death is connected to his time in the city, especially when a witness saw a man fleeing the scene. In this second book in the mystery series, Tietjen expands on Maple's personal life, writing a mystery that's hard to put down. Maple is based on Frances Glessner Lee, who is known "as the mother of forensic science." Readalikes includes the Maisie Dobbs series, Sarah Stewart Taylor, Julia Spencer-Fleming, and Linda Castillo.

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman

Joyce's daughter, Joanna, is getting married. At the wedding reception, Nick, the best man, confides to Elizabeth that someone tried to kill him. He then disappears and his business partner Holly is murdered. The Thursday Murder Club members (Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim) find themselves deep in a murder investigation that's related to a large amount of bitcoin along with a code to crack. Ron, though, is distracted by a feeling that all is not right with his children. Another enjoyable jaunt with the quartet and their circle of friends and family.