Kuolema Kukko-onnen majatalossa

I was teetering between 3 and 4 stars, but since I'm a positive reader, I'll round the 3.5 to 4. This is a very cozy detective novel. I haven't read any of the Mme Ramotswe novels, but the idea seems quite familiar, just with a Thai setting. Lots of talk about food, no hard feelings, even tough topics like prostitution and wife trade are handled with kid gloves.

The plot itself is fine. Nothing special, but I did like the protagonist, typical as she is. The depiction of Thai culture was interesting. I was familiar with the basics of the Thai culture, but this gave a new insight into the culture. That was good, and made reading the book interesting.

The way the prostitution was depicted in a mostly positive light and how the brothel run by the protagonist's cousin was such a splendid and friendly establishment did bother me a bit – sure, I guess that happens, but it doesn't seem very likely to me. Also, even if the author has spent time in Thailand, he's still an outsider, so there's the whole question of cultural appropriation and whatnot.

So, not without issues, but on the other hand, if you don't mind that, this is not a bad cozy detective. It was pleasant enough that I'll read the other one, too.