Before The Frost

By: Henning Mankell

Narrated by: Sean Barrett

The leader of a religious cult in Guyana instigates a mass suicide. He succeeds in killing himself and his whole flock of worshippers, save one. One man escapes. In the wood in the country land outside Ystad, the police make an horrific discovery: a severed head, and hands locked together in an attitude of prayer. A Bible lies at the victim's side, handwritten corrections and amendments on every page. A string of incidents, including attacks on domestic animals, has been taking place and Inspector 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 the case and in the process has to confront a group of extremists bent on punishing the world's sinners. Before the Frost is a totally compelling and atmospheric crime story.

Gripping Story

This is a terrifying thriller, written by Henning Mankell, a Swedish mystery writer. The book is the first featuring Linda Wallander, his main character's daughter, as a police officer, and I hope he plans on writing more. The author asks at the beginning, what if one man had survived the Jonestown massacre in Guyana in 1978, and proceeds to follow that man. The plot is exciting and escalates fast into frightening, with ritual murder and sacrifice, disappearances of Linda's two best friends. Underneath, and effectively communicated, is the theme that religion can be a force for either good or evil, and it is a most powerful tool for manipulating people. This is evident all the time in the news, when countries go to war or terrorists commit mass murder, it's always "God is on our side," and who can argue with that? Religious fervor in the wrong hands can result in the worst atrocities. The book finishes on Linda's first official day of work, Sept. 11, 2001. I highly recommend this book, it's one of the best I've read this year.

Always a pleasure

Listening to Henning Mankell stories are always a pleasure and always guaranteed a great listen

Henning Mankell at his best!

Would you listen to Before the Frost again? Why?

Yes. It was a brilliant read. I loved how the book focused on Linda and her circle of friends.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Linda,Kurt's daughter. The book gave great insight into her character and the strong similarities that exist between her and her dad.

Which character – as performed by Sean Barrett – was your favorite?

Kurt Wallander

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. I had to force myself to stop listening and go to sleep.

Mankell does it again and narrator Sean Barrett

Henning Mankell does it again and narrator Sean Barrett does not disappoint. This one sees Kurt, and soon to be junior police officer Linda, both investigating mysteries that eventually intersect. Kurt is chasing a sadist whose alarming crimes are escalating while Linda is stood up by one of her friends who has appears to have mysteriously disappeared. An interesting and fast paced book that went into the top tier of my library.

A gripping and vivid tale

If you could sum up Before the Frost in three words, what would they be?

A disturbing tale

What did you like best about this story?

Kurt and Linda were pursuing two parallel investigations - one official and one personal. It seemed for quite a good deal of the story that the two investigations were never going to coincide. This was masterfully achieved and as the story progressed it became more mysterious and difficult to predict where the story was going to head - only that it was getting darker and darker. This was well crafted.

Have you listened to any of Sean Barrett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes one - I particularly like the Swedish feel he creates and the clarity of the characters - a great performance.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The cruel God

Any additional comments?

Great story, great performance - I want more!