As soon as I read the blurb for Murder Mindfully, I knew I had to read it. The premise sounded like nothing I had ever read before I was intrigued.

This book was every bit as good as the blurb promised it would be.

The dichotomy between murder and mindfulness was expertly laid out on the page, to the point of almost, but not quite, being humerous.

This German novel was such a clever mix of crime, humor and mindfulness!
Our MC Björn Diemel is a lawyer whose life is turned upside down by a series of unfortunate events. When his personal and professional life begins to crumble, he turns to a mindfulness coach for guidance, only to find himself accidentally entangled in a murder case.

I loved the dark humor mixed with the mindfulness practices that the MC follows in tense situations. Björn's journey of personal growth through mindfulness techniques adds a refreshing layer to the typical crime novel, as he tries to stay calm and focused while dealing with the increasingly absurd situations that arise around him. His dry wit and often self-deprecating humor make him an interesting and relatable character, even in the face of murder and mayhem.

Final Thoughts-
For readers who enjoy a mix of suspense with humor and mindfulness, this book is definitely worth picking up.

Ok, Bjorn is a lawyer, working mostly for a client involved in organised crime .As the book starts, his personal life is problematic and he also has to sort out the problem of his client killing someone and the proof of that is online in a film. Stressed out by his work, he sees a practioner of mindfullness and this becomes his way of dealing with most problems in his life.
I liked the satirical aspect of the book, though was skimming over most of the mindfullness mantras towards the end of the book. The humour is, given the involvement with the criminal underworld, dark and the descriptions often fairly graphic. I am not sure whether someone could fence his mind off to such an extent, but that is by the way. Not a bad read, it became a little repetitive, so did not need to be any longer. A change of genre for me, thanks to Net Galley for the ARC. I`d read more from the author, but not yet.

Whilst the novel took a little while to get going, by the end it was an enthralling joyride through the German underworld. The characters felt fully realised and like they had real agency in the world. An incredibly strong debut novel for Dusse - I look forward to reading more in the future!

Slow to start I wasn’t sure where this book was going or if I was going to enjoy it. But it suddenly took off and is actually a clever story with plenty of humour. I loved the mindfulness quotes at the start of each chapter and how the main character made them work for him and the situations he found himself in.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for my honest and unbiased opinion.

This one was such a slow burn but once I got into it, I really enjoyed it. Murder blended with mindfulness provided an interesting story filled with dark humour. I got some great mindfulness tips while I followed Bjorn's story as her evolved from scummy lawyer to assertive mob boss. Utterly bonkers, darkly funny and completely compelling to read!

This book was really surprising - I found it quite a slow burn and it took a little time to get into it but I persisted and finished it in one sitting - it’s well thought out and has such an original plot

I really enjoyed Murder Mindfully. A genius, topic premise, a great cover and a clever plot delivered with a smirk and a wink. Recommended for both comedy and crime fans

I wasn't expecting to like this book, but I enjoyed it very much as it is so funny and clever. It is a real antidote to the very earnest "religion" of mindfulness, and the story is well-planned. I will definitely recommend this book.

Great Shades of Walter White in therapy! Addictive, funny, and more than just a lesson in redefining your thinking, this is a quick, easy read and I"m already keen on finding out more...

With thanks to the author, publishers Faber & Faber Ltd, and NetGalley for providing me with a DRC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What a fun and twisted read!

The thought of a lawyer exercising mindfulness to help himself murder his gangster client and then step into his shoes seems ludicrous on so many levels, but the author pulls it off spectacularly! I particularly enjoyed how he weaved that murderous side of the plot with something as everyday and mundane as finding a preschool place for his young daughter and then used that as the driving force for much of the events that followed.

Despite some of the quite violent scenes described in the book, the characters were all remarkably likeable to some extent (even the gangsters), while the dialog was lively and witty and a pleasure to read.

As a bonus, I also appreciated the mindfulness quotes at the start of each chapter and have highlighted some of them to take forward with me. Hopefully, they don’t have the same effect on me as they did on Björn, though!

'I didn't kill anyone until I was forty-two. That's actually a little on the late side for my current professional environment. Admittedly, I did kill almost half a dozen in the week that followed.' (Murder Mindfully, Chapter 1.)

How not to love a book that starts like this! Murder Mindfully delivers what the title promises. There's organised crime and murder, and there's mindfulness. Not two things that are often connected, so of course I was intrigued and eager to read this.

And it was an absolute joy! Yes, it was an absolute joy to read a book with lots of murders and criminality. Because, apparently murder can be part of a joyful, mindful way of living.

Bjorn is a criminal defence lawyer ostracised by everyone in the law firm where he works because he is responsible for one of the firm's most lucrative but distasteful clients, Dragan, the boss of an organised crime gang. Dragan is keeping Bjorn so busy that Bjorn is stressed out and his family life is suffering. So he gives in to his wife's demand to pull his socks up, and agrees to take lessons in mindfulness. And discovers the key to continuing his work but with way less stress!

Murder Mindfully is a book to race through. It's intelligent, witty – at times very funny – cleverly plotted and very, very entertaining. Sure it's as light and full of holes as a stick of candyfloss, but who cares, it's fun. No wonder it's been translated (from the German original) into several languages and even been made into a Netflix series (which I haven't seen). It's popularity is well earned. Recommended.

I really liked the concept of this novel. Bringing together mindfulness and murder is a funny combination so it kept me on my toes and I enjoyed the mindfulness tips at the start of every chapter too - whether intended or not, they made for an extra, unexpected takeaway! A very unique take on a crime novel.

Everything about this book piqued my interest when I first heard about it! I’m not sure it’ll leave my brain in a hurry! Achieving a better work-life balance is a goal for many of us, but when Björn’s journey begins and he learns a little more about mindfulness, he discovers some pretty disturbing new coping strategies…

Murder Mindfully is such a unique crime novel written with a dark, comical edge. I couldn’t help but get fully drawn into such an original concept, the murder and the mindfulness contrasting in such a clever way from beginning to end. For the most part, it’s an addictive read, characters are developed so well (even though there are a fair few to get acquainted with) and the plot was really engaging. The mindfulness quotes at the start of each chapter were surprisingly useful (but I definitely won’t be using them to commit a murder, ha) and the way this theme of being mindful became the foundations of everything Björn does to turn his life around was explored to perfection. It’s a dangerous, tense and thrilling journey until the very last page. A must read!

Our ‘hero’ is an over worked yet unfulfilled individual until his wife demands that he attend mindfulness sessions or they will split up. They separate anyway but mindfulness does the trick. Our overworked lawyer with a hoodlum client suddenly finds himself in control with an ease of breath and not worrying about things he can’t control, a first novel and what a novel! Loved it. Fast paced

This wasn't personally in my style, but clearly many did attach to it. In particular I found the repetitive section of the relevant chapter of mindfulness book at the start of each chapter annoying. Although touted as a murder novel...as far as I can remember, no one was actually murdered by the main protagonist....just left to die. Just not for me.

The adventure I experienced was unexpectedly wild and filled with laughter. I found myself thoroughly engaged as the plot unfolded, twisting and turning in ways I hadn't anticipated. Each character was richly developed, bringing their own unique quirks and charm to the story. However, the main character stood out to me the most, becoming my favorite as I followed their journey through this fantastic tale.

Murder Mindfully was an interesting read and I enjoyed how this novel unravelled. The main character Björn is stressed in his line of work as a lawyer and under the ultimate of his wife he goes to a therapist to be more mindful... However I really don't think this mindfulness was what his wife was expecting... At 42 Björn killed his first victim. What unravels after has the reader intrigued. This novel is surprisingly funny in parts, I say this as I didn't expect a murder novel to have humour but it's in there. The way the story is written rolls off the page and I can see why this is now a Netflix show.
I enjoyed the development of the storyline and the characters, I'm even intrigued by the shoe so may give that a watch next.

The plot of this book felt so exciting, fresh and funny, It had me hooked all the way through, the calm meets murder and danger was very well done.

Freedom means not having to do what you don’t want to do.
A defence lawyer for a brutal crime boss, Bjorn is caught in a downward spiral. His marriage isn’t happy - their daughter is “not so much the child of their dreams but the child of his wife’s plans”.
Wife Katharina hates the job Bjorn does, but to escape the unhappiness at home, he works even harder, making home life even more difficult. Something has to give. So he goes on a Mindfulness course in an attempt to right the ship, with unforeseen consequences. It all starts to make sense to him.
He actually becomes mindful and appreciates the important things in life, like precious time with his daughter, which he resolves to be fully present for. When his client, crime boss Dragan Sergowicz’s actions threaten to derail that trip, it triggers a series of unexpected events.
The thread of mindfulness through the book makes the absurd events make complete sense as Bjorn justifies his actions in line with his new mindful thinking. He finally finds a happiness, and goes to extreme lengths to protect it. Even kill.
It’s brilliantly written - a comedy so very dark, the violence farcical and cartoon-like. It’s a book that I couldn’t put down as I had to follow the thread to see how everything ended up!
Many thanks to Netgalley and publisher Faber and Faber Ltd for this copy of the book for review.