If you are looking for a Christmas present for a reader, try “Shock Wave” by John Sandford.
I make no bones about it – I am a big John Sandford fan. His reading his latest cop-thriller, “Shock Wave,” is outstanding.
Sandford has written about a thousand books, but his two primary series are both crime-police-mystery oriented. The Lucas Davenport “Prey” series takes place in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. The main character is Lucas, a brilliant, rich, good looking, sophisticated, etc. cop. His other series revolves around state crime investigator Virgil Flowers, who works for Davenport, but investigates in the rural parts of Minnesota.
Sandford’s plots are good, but his characters and dialogue are even better. With only a few exceptions, even his “bad guys” are engaging and frequently charismatic. Virgil is definitely the kind of guy I’d like to hang out with, even though the opportunity only comes in a book.
In “Shock Wave,” someone is planting bombs in small town to prevent the construction of a new big box store there. Virgil is trying to figure out who it is. The plot is compelling and moves along. It gets “two thumbs up.”
I won’t tell you who the guilty bomber is, but here is a hint; Sandford’s antagonists are usually engaging and frequently charming. Figure it out for yourself.
Another Beautiful Day in Paradise! 
I’ve only read one of Sandford’s books. It was the first in the Lucas Davenport series, and I believe it was called Rules of Prey. I enjoyed it very much but then just couldn’t get into the second book. I’m currently looking for something new to read. I’ll keep this one in mind.
Sandford got much better as he moved on. If you want to good intro to the Virgil Flowers series, try “Rough Country.” It’s one of my favorites. Good plot and great characters.
How mean of you to introduce the bomber in the last paragraph. It was starting to get interesting. I hate cliffhangers! Well…I might as well just go buy the book, right? lol
Oh, man. That wasn’t enough info to reveal the bomber, unless you are psychic. Save yourself some $$$ and reserve it at your local library. You will enjoy it.