I thought this was a very clever mix of mindfulness tips interwoven with a struggling lawyer’s descent into a life of crime by his use of those mindfulness tips. My only criticism would be that it dragged a bit three quarters of the way through but then picked up again at the end. Overall, recommended.

It is certainly not usual to have a self-help therapy book merged with murder but this is exactly what Karsten Dusse has done. It is a witty, clever and insightful read. Of course, if you are very mindful, you may think, this title is familiar. Yes, it’s been on Netflix recently but this is the translation from German that is now available. It is well written and examining a work-life balance has never been more entertaining.

*4.5* stars

Calm your mind. Be here, now. Take a breath. And kill.

We’ve all heard of mindfulness, maybe even practice it, but who on earth would use it to kill? Björn, that’s who!

Björn is a lawyer, and he was 42 before he killed someone. Through one of his clients, he found himself involved in organised crime, and ended up killing someone - and then killing became something of a habit!

It all started when his wife, Katharina, gave him an ultimatum - get his work/ life balance sorted out or she would leave him, taking their daughter with her. Well, Björn’s first step is to take a course on mindfulness, just to show how serious he is about saving his marriage. Eventually though, he begins to use it in the most absurd and violent ways.

You’d expect a novel about a murderer to be anything but amusing, but amusing it is! It’s a unique storyline, fast paced, with characters that come fully fleshed, particularly our protagonist. The bonus is, there are some useful tips on mindfulness, but just use it in a positive way folks! Recommended.

It is not often I award five stars but I so thoroughly enjoyed this book and believe it warrants nothing less. Who would have thought that mindfulness could be integrated so well with murder and organised crime?! I loved the first person writing style and the dark humour and quips throughout the book. I found myself totally on the side of the main character and admiring his way of dealing with the various problems which befell him one after another and the murderous solutions he so cleverly engineered. I definitely want to read more in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review and to the author for his wonderfully dark but novel slant on mindfulness.

Murder Mindfully is the first book in a darkly comic, tongue-in-cheek crime series by German author Karsten Dusse (translated by Florian Duijsens). The series, called Achstam Mordern in German, now runs to five volumes. Murder Mindfully is the English translation of the first of these but it is likely that the others will follow.
Bjorn is a lawyer who does the dirty work for his firm, representing and facilitating the work of an underworld crime boss. But the work is affecting his chances of promotion, his life, his marriage and his relationship with his daughter. So he reluctantly agrees to see a mindfulness expert. Reticent at first, Bjorn starts to use the advice and techniques that he is taught to declutter his thoughts and finds that his new outlook has a positive impact on his relationships. So when his crimelord client tries to interfere with Bjorn’s planned weekend away with his daughter while also fleeing from the police, Bjorn lets the rules of mindfulness guide his actions and kills the man. Thus begins Bjorn’s takeover of the organisation, guided by the tenets of mindfulness, which does not necessarily argue against a little more killing.
Dusse uses Bjorn’s focus on mindfulness to walk the difficult highwire act of delivering a pacey, tense crime thriller in a humorous, satiric vein. This is exemplified most by Bjorn’s use of his criminal gang to take over a day care centre so that he can ensure a place for his daughter. But in doing so Bjorn finds that the offer of day care places is an excellent form of soft power.
While Bjorn manages to tie up a few loose ends by the end of Murder Mindfully there are still plenty of hurdles looming on his horizon. English readers will have to wait for the next book to come out to find out what happens next. In the meantime there is always the Netlfix adaptation of this book with a second series expected in late 2025.

I had no idea that this book had been adapted by Netflix when I requested it but having read it, I’m interested in seeing how they’ve done it. It’s a pretty unique storyline and considering, I’m not a big fan of organised crime stories, I found it very readable.

Bjorn’s wife Katharina is going to leave him if he can’t get a better work/life balance. As they have a young daughter together, Bjorn is determined to right this. It turns out that a mindfulness class is the answer to Bjorn learning to slow down, breathe and focus on what really matters. So, when his crime boss client starts to interfere with family time, Bjorn calmly ‘deals’ with him and the aftermath with more than a healthy dose of violence.

Each chapter is prefaced by an extract from Bjorn’s mindfulness leader’s book. The excerpt echoes what’s to come in the following pages and Bjorn repeatedly refers to the book throughout the story. It was a really effective grounding technique and in a clever way, it really centred mindfulness as a discipline amongst a crazy, bloody narrative.

The humour is that kind of blunt, honest brand that is perhaps quite European. It reminded me of the comedy in Jonas Jonasson’s or Fredrik Backman’s books, despite it not being Swedish (Karsten Dusse is German). It had that same quirky style and delivery and it was present throughout. I think it was this cheeky, sarcastic tone that kept me as interested as I was.

Most of the characters are scary, dangerous people but it was really amusing to see these little glimpses of the children that they once were. These men have killed, stolen and lied and yet they still actually just want to be acknowledged and accepted.

At its heart, Murder Mindfully is a story about family and a father trying to do his best for a child he adores. Emily is perhaps the wisest character in the book and she provides a real, good reason for Bjorn doing the ridiculous, crazy things he does. I’m sure a lot of parents will agree with the sentiment that they would do anything for their children, even cause chaos amongst organised crime communities.

Murder Mindfully is a quirky, fast-paced thriller with more than a lot of comedy. If you like Anxious People by Fredrik Backman, I think you’ll like this a lot. It’s got guns, very high stakes, some bad people and a glowing kernel of wholesomeness.

Just Incredible.

This book is about Bjorn, but along the way you will get humor, mindfulness, suspense, thrills and then some beautiful characterization.

This novel is a must read for anyone but especially those who love a bit of wit with their murders.

I recommend and I cannot wait to read another by this author.

I really enjoyed this dark, funny and clever story. Bjorn is a burnt out lawyer with a crime boss client and an unhappy wife until he take mindfulness classes. Genuinely funny and very cleverly plotted, this is a brilliant read.

Please read this, it is laugh out loud funny.
When Lawyer Bjorn is sent on a mindfulness course by his wife, he has no idea what direction it would send his life in.
Every day he has to deal with Dragan, his scumbag client. Because of this, he has never made partner at the firm because he deals with him so well.
His wife is fed up with the constant demands from the client and gives Bjorn an ultimatum.
Using his new mindful approach, Bjorn finds inventive ways to deal with his problems and spend quality time with his little girl, Emily.
Very, very funny.

I was really excited to read Murder Mindfully by Karsten Dusse. I had seen that the German TV adaptation of the book was heading to Netflix and a lot of hype was surrounding that.

Bjorn is a criminal defence lawyer working for a major law firm. His sole client, Dragan Sergowicz, is wealthy but also a leader of one of the largest criminal gangs in the city. Dragon keeps Bjorn very busy. Bjorn is overworked and rarely sees his family. In a last ditch attempt to save his marriage and keep his family together, Bjorn visits Breitner for Mindfulness sessions.

What follows next is such a page turning rollercoaster ride!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I loved how Bjorn embraces mindfulness techniques to manage the situation he finds himself in with his client. There are some absolute laugh out loud moments as Bjorn employs mindfulness techniques to troubleshoot. This is a fast paced intelligent and funny read.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Faber and Faber, for making this e-ARC available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Enjoyable, if a little slow and repetitive at times. I liked the “extracts” from the book but I think it would have been better to have them either interspersed through the chapter or at the start of the chapter, not both.

I also enjoyed how some of the things that I thought might get the main protagonist caught out came close but didn’t get him in trouble.

It felt a little weird at times noticing British slang being used by German characters but I assume this is a quirk of the translation.
I’d happily read more from this author to get a more rounded view of their work.

Well, what a refreshingly different thriller. It is very dark but funny too. An organised crime gang's legal brief is getting a lot of grief from his wife. She hates his long hours and resents the distraction of his job when he should be spending time with his young family. So our legal eagle takes a few courses in mindfulness. As the leader of the OCG is witnessed murdering a man by a coachload of school children, the lawyer realises there are only a few options and his mindfulness training kicks in. What follows is a serendipitous revelation for the lawyer.
The ending of the novel was masterfully perfect.

Very entertaining. A satire poking fun at all the modern obsessions with wellbeing, allergies and being seen to be doing the right thing. Bjorn is introduced reluctantly to Mindfulness but realises that he can embrace this way of thinking to help himself become free of many of his troublesome clients in his work as a criminal lawyer. It is easy to feel for Bjorn trying to keep his marriage from falling apart and trying to reduce work pressure that is destroying the marriage. I felt the writing had just the right amount of wackiness in it , so the book still works as an easy reading thriller.
Thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for the ARC

Its a great book with a great dark, sense of humour. The main character is forced to take a mindfulness class by his long suffering wife and somehow applies it to killing people, yet the author writes it in a way that you find yourself agreeing with his logic.
Its definitely worth a read.

Björn Diemel is a criminal defence lawyer with only one client, Dragan Sergowicz, leader of one of the two big gangs that run all the rackets in the city. The partners in his Law Firm are happy with his billings but look down on the practices he has to employ. His wife is close to leaving him, which would mean separating him from the only real source of joy in his life – his two year old daughter, Emily. To bring harmony to his world he enrols with a Mindfulness Therapist and begins to live and operate mindfully. Which is immediately tested because Dragan is suddenly on the run from a murder charge, and needs his genius lawyer to save him. However, applying mindfulness techniques leads Björn to conclude that disposing of Dragan and acting in loco will end all his problems.
This is the best book I have read in the last three years. It is a tour de force of comedic writing imbued with mafioso criminality, or a story of gang warfare imbued with hilarious antics. A comedy noir. The plot is apparently linear, in that everything happens over the space of a week or so, but it is intricately constructed. Björn is constantly having to solve problems, domestic, legal and organised criminal, but he treats every problem mindfully, sees the path to tranquillity and steers everyone – police, mobsters, lawyers, wife – along it. There are lovely touches at every turn, and wonderful set piece events, reminiscent of Tom Sharpe’s concatenations. The author is a German lawyer and the book was originally published in German. I have reviewed many books in English translation, and found this one to be excellent, flawless, in its grasp of contemporary English idiom. So I would like to praise not only Karsten Dusse, for his brilliant plotting skills, but also Florian Duijsens for his brilliant translation. I enjoyed this book so much that I would happily give it 6 stars if that were allowed.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

What a great book, a pleasure to read from start to finish. Bjorn is a great character, I love his narrative voice, there is a good supporting cast, a lot of humour and a great ending. And of course there are all the mindfulness tips a lot of which seem to work. I loved the way this cynical career lawyer embraced mindfulness so thoroughly in his attempt to deal with all his work stresses and gangland clients and I particularly liked how, at times of stress, he would hurry off to the bathroom with his book to check the advice in it!

No plot spoilers, suffice to say that I found it all quite believable. I would just say that having each chapter headed with the tips which would prove relevant to the action spoiled the surprise a tiny bit, but that is just a minor niggle.

The whole thing is a joy from start to finish and I thoroughly recommend it.

A definite and hesitation-free 5 stars for this gem. Funny, witty and surprisingly also a successful advocate for mindfulness despite the protagonist's bonkers take on the practice. Chapters, each with a thoughtful preface, were devoured in quick succession and I've already recommended it to friends who enjoy tales of normal humans in abnormal situations. Really enjoyable read. Thank you for my Kuch appreciated ARC.

This book is an unexpected gem! Cleverly written and very funny, it tells how mindfulness can be used (and abused!) to change a life. I can't wait for his next novel, and I'm wondering if the protagonist will again be featured.

Murder Mindfully is already an international bestseller and a German series on Netflix, so I was excited to read the English translation out this year from Faber & Faber.

Björn, a criminal defence lawyer has been given an ultimatum by his wife to achieve a better work/life balance. He enrols in a class for mindfulness and soon finds himself employing those techniques as his world takes a sharp turn into murdering people.

This book is full of dark humour, and I think this I something a British audience can really get behind, so I imagine this translation will be a popular one in the UK. The juxtaposition of using mindfulness techniques in a murder and gang hierarchy situation is a great one and it’s such a fun premise. There’s a lot of strands and stakes running throughout and the read really gripped me as I raced through the pages, hoping that our anti-hero Björn would get away with murder.

I had a few issues with the writing, although it’s hard to know if this is down to the original author or the translation. At the beginning of the book, I found it a little hard to get into because of the amount of odd verbiage used. There are a lot of unnecessary words, and it felt like someone had relied a little too heavily on their thesaurus. For example, when describing an office: ‘it looked like it had just won an award in the antediluvian 70s’, the use of antediluvian here is an odd choice and jarred with the style of the rest of the writing. This did fade out as I got more into the story though.

I really loved the chapter headings which included a paragraph from the Mindfulness book which would directly relate to what the chapter was about. It was quite good advice, but it also made for a fun mini-spoiler for how the events were going to unfold or what might happen next. However, I didn’t like the fact that when this quote became relevant in the story, the same paragraph was then copy and pasted directly into the prose. I think if it had been paraphrased as a reminder this would have worked better than just a copy paste.

I really enjoyed the plot; it escalates nicely and in some places you really felt empathy to this murderer of a main character. However, sometimes his character came across as a bit too unlikeable – especially with how he speaks about his wife, and some of the dialogue choices shocked me as they seemed contrasting with how Björn had been portrayed up until that point. You really want a book like this to be centred around someone you can route for in bad circumstances, rather than just an awful person killing awful people. The balance of this seemed a little off kilter in places.

Overall, Murder Mindfully is a really fun read and a brilliant premise - next time you turn to murder, makes sure to centre yourself and practice mindfulness! Thank you to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this book, but gosh darn did I also find it maddening. It was SO STRESSFUL, and also filled with mindfulness techniques that felt almost mocking in contrast. I'm a big fan of mindfulness, and it was a great juxtaposition with some incredibly high stakes. The characters were quite lovable, and there were bits that were absolutely laugh-out-loud hilarious. A really fun, tense-but-not-scary, witty story - I'd definitely recommend this!