Before the Coffee Goes Cold, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

A basement café in Tokyo provides a refuge of sorts for a variety of regular customers, as well as the three people who work there – Kumi and couple Nagare and Kei. But it is more than this; urban legend says it is possible to go back in time there. There are strict rules and great risks and the experience will not change the present, but many people want to try it. This is an intriguing concept, executed in a series of vignettes that detail each different kind of time travel experience and how it affects the traveller. Deep issues are touched on – dementia, family dysfunction, a dangerous pregnancy, but not explored in any actual depth. It is a slim book, but a slow read, possibly due to the translation; it takes a long time to get a sense of the characters and the shape of the story, which is nevertheless quite predictable.

The Madame Blanc Mysteries - series 1-3, Acorn TV

After her husband’s death in a car crash in the south of France, English antiques dealer Jean White finds their business affairs are a mess and her only remaining asset is their cottage in St Victoire. But Rory’s death may not have been an accident and Jean finds herself stuck in town while she investigates what may turn out to be a serial killer with the help of a local ex-pat taxi driver. Former soap actress Sally Lindsay must have been frustrated at the lack of roles for older women, as she created, wrote and produced this ‘cosy crime’ series. Like its antecedent Death in Paradise, there are rather too many murders for a small town and it is a relief to have a few different crimes thrown in to the mix in series 3 , but the antiques aspect is always interesting. Malta works well as a stand in for the south of France, but there are a suspiciously high number of English expats, especially from Manchester, in the area and while it is refreshing that several older women have feature roles, the lack of young people after series 1 is very noticeable. There is a series 4, which may finally move forward with the annoyingly unresolved relationship between Jean and her taxi driver, but may also prove to be flogging a dead horse.