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.

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.

So, I chose this book on the fact that the plot sounded funny generally I hate mindfulness. I hate the way people go on about it and the way that it's heralded as this miraculous idea. So what a stunning book this was, in which it not only had me laughing at every page, it also opened my eyes to mindfulness and to what it actually entailed. Turns out this is exactly the kind of self help book I've ever needed. The characters were all hilarious, I loved the depth to each of them and the small snippets of info learnt about each one along the way. The inner mafia/mob workings were believable and I enjoyed how everything linked back to previous points. It was great writing and I was engaged the whole way through, the length felt perfect as well and didn't drag on unnecessarily and all the loose ends were tied up which is a major plus point for me. Impeccable ending which was perfect and I enjoyed this so much more than I anticipated. The book has been adapted for a Netflix show so I'm now going to watch that in hope it can live up to the book, because honestly what a brilliant read. I will definitely be keeping track of any new releases from this author! Favourite Quote - First off, I'm not a violent man. Quite the opposite. I've never once gotten into a fight. And I didn't even kill anyone until I was forty-two Favourite Character - Sasha

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. 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 almost put Murder Mindfully down after the first couple of chapters, but I’m glad I didn’t. Karsten Dusse weaves a clever and unconventional plot that blends self-improvement with crime in a way that’s both darkly comedic and oddly satisfying. Björn, the lead character, starts off as incredibly frustrating—his rigid, almost passive approach to life makes him difficult to root for at first. But as he embraces mindfulness (in the most unconventional way possible), he becomes surprisingly engaging. His journey from overworked lawyer to… well, mindful murderer, is absurd yet strangely logical within the book’s world. The plot unfolds in a fairly predictable manner, but that doesn’t take away from the enjoyment. The way mindfulness principles are twisted into justifications for cold-blooded efficiency is both unsettling and amusing. The humor is sharp, at times edgy, and adds to the book’s unique tone. Overall, Murder Mindfully is an entertaining, offbeat read that offers an amusingly twisted take on both personal growth and crime fiction. If you enjoy dark humor and don’t mind a protagonist whose moral compass is… flexible, this book is worth the read.