A cult leader instigates a mass suicide, killing himself and his whole flock of fanatical worshippers. But one man escapes. Deep in the woods outside Ystad, the police make an horrific discovery: a severed head, and hands locked together in the attitude of prayer. An old Bible lies at the victim's side, handwritten corrections and amendments on every page. A series of incidents including the murder of domestic animals has been taking place and Kurt Wallander fears that these events could be the prelude to attacks on humans on a much greater scale. Linda Wallander, preparing to join the Ystad police force, arrives at the station. Showing all the hallmarks of her father - the maverick approach, the flaring temper - she becomes involved in a case to take on a group of religious extremists bent on punishing the world's sinners. Before the Frost is a totally compelling and atmospheric crime story.