Please help me find a book for my friend

[QueenHilda]

She’s 40 and recently bereaved. She loves to read and I want to get her a couple of light books to enjoy in the evenings.

Things she would like:
Mystery / adventure page turner
Lighthearted / amusing / uplifting
Escapism, unrelatable, and a distraction from daily life.
Well written (she has an English degree)

Things she would not like:
Anything sci fi / fantasy
Anything depressing
Anything too serious or poignant, especially about death or other ‘big life’ themes.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

One pair of hands by Monica Dickens is very funny

Great suggestion 😃

Alexander McCall Smith? The number 1 ladies detective agency series maybe.

Set in Botswana and features a middle aged lady detective, various little mysteries she investigates but all lighthearted and funny.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne is wonderful and Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson also recommended based on your brief.

Lolly Willowes.

Elizabeth Goudge's stories are good too, though old fashioned. Interestingly, she also compiled a "Book of Comfort".

I find I want to recommend Matt Haig's Midnight Library, but I don't think that's what you're looking for.

I love A Gentleman in Moscow as AdaColeman suggested. That's a great idea.

Thank you all for these wonderful suggestions! Tempted get two copies of some of them so I can read them too!

If you've not read The Heart's Invisible Furies @QueenHilda just be aware it includes several violent deaths and also some poignant and tragic moments of loss and bereavement. Beautifully written, with an intricately woven plot line, and a wide emotional scope.