The Menu of Happiness

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by Kashiwai, Hisashi | Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Published 02/04/2026 by PAN MACMILLAN (Pan Books) in the United Kingdom Paperback | 240 pages131 x 198 x 19mm | 1 76gThe Menu of Happiness, translated from Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood, is the third book in the delightful, bestselling Japanese sleuthing series for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold. This is an interconnected series, which can be read separately, or binged all at once!Welcome to the Kamogawa Diner, where every meal is a mystery ready to be solved. This unique establishment is run by a father–daughter duo who offer more than just mouth-watering meals. They act as ‘food detectives’, delving into the past to produce nostalgia-infused dishes for their hungry clientele.Among the patrons is a once-renowned pianist whose promising career was marred by a self-inflicted injury. She longs to taste the yakisoba she shared with the only man she ever truly loved. The diner also welcomes a man haunted by shadows of regret. His mind races back to the gyoza served by the parents of a lover he once jilted, as he seeks understanding and, perhaps, forgiveness.For the Kamogawa Diner doesn't just serve food. Each dish is a portal to the past, serving not just sustenance but solace and reconnection through the miracle of its delicious recipes. The Menu of Happiness follows on from The Kamogawa Food Detectives and The Restaurant of Lost Recipes.‘Feel-good and foodie themes collide in this follow-up to The Kamogawa Food Detectives’ - The TimesThe Menu of Happiness was a Japanese bestseller when it published w/c 04/01/2016 Show more