What are you reading, Ms Kolbe?

If you're in the mood for a humorous and original crime series, you shouldn't miss “Murder Mindfully”!

The series of books follow the journey of lawyer Björn Diemel as he embraces mindfulness – a buzzword that is trendy, undoubtedly beneficial, and yet can be incredibly annoying. Does everyone really need to find their inner child or walk the Camino de Santiago? That’s exactly what the stressed-out Björn wants to figure out. A mindfulness coach is supposed to help him finally find his inner peace. Enter Joschka Breitner, whose wisdom has achieved cult status among Murder Mindfully fans. One memorable piece of advice: “If you’re standing in front of a door and waiting, then you’re standing in front of a door and waiting. If you’re arguing with your wife, then you’re arguing with your wife. That’s mindfulness. But if you’re standing in front of a door and arguing with your wife in your thoughts, then that’s not mindfulness. That’s just stupid.”

With this statement, Diemel’s mindfulness therapy begins. To his surprise, he makes great progress toward inner peace. The only problem? He accidentally keeps killing people along the way. But at least he does it mindfully, in harmony with himself, with a nearly Buddhist level of serenity.

With a generous dose of dark humor and satirical lightness, German author and lawyer Karsten Dusse blends crime fiction with mindfulness advice that is often surprisingly practical. He skillfully pokes fun at Diemel’s generation and their typical concerns, as well as the mindfulness/self-improvement coaching scene and the criminal underworld. And on top of all that, the stories are genuinely thrilling.

After the first book, which is published in English, Björn Diemel’s mindfulness journey continues. In the second volume of the series “Das Kind in mir will achtsam morden” he deals with his inner child while at the same time struggling with his new role as a loving father and gangster boss. In the third book of the series, “Achtsam morden am Rande der Welt,” he searches for peace on the Camino de Santiago, but repeatedly stumbles into all kinds of crimes. And in volume 4, “Achtsam morden im Hier und Jetzt,” he focuses on conscious living, though his criminal entanglements make it difficult to fully embrace.

Each book introduces new bizarre situations, even more absurd tips, and plenty of darkly humorous entertainment.

I’m currently reading Book 5: “Murder Mindfully Through Conscious Diet.” Björn Diemel has found his inner balance, but now he increasingly shifts his attention to his body. He dives into the fascinating world of fasting and nutrition, and seems unaware of how beautifully diet, relaxation, and eliminating violent tendencies can go hand in hand.

This series isn’t classic high-tension crime fiction but rather an entertaining mix of quirky murder cases, self-help, and social satire. The style is light, the chapters are engaging, and the structure makes it easy to jump back into the story at any time. Björn’s deadpan way of blending criminal activities with mindfulness principles never fails to make me laugh.

If you’re looking for a witty, well-written series that’s both thrilling and delightfully absurd, I highly recommend the Murder Mindfully series!