Since it’s been at least 20 years - I thought I would give some of the early John Sandford books a re-read. Funny - but because he’s a Minneapolis cop - I always picture Lucas as light completed - looking something like the author. But in this first installment - he is described as having dark hair.  Jack Reacher has dark hair - Lucas is still blond in my mind. 
Any way - Minneapolis has a serial murderer on their hands - and Lucas needs to catch him. Straight up police procedural - with a fair amount of Lucas behaving like Virgil Flowers when it comes to women. Jennifer Carey is pregnant - Lucas has sex with a woman who was attacked by the murderer but not killed (he offers his Wisconsin get away cabin for her to spend some time recuperating). Lucas takes advantage of a news reporter who is more interested in the glitz than the news - by giving her false tips - and then setting up surveillance on her home. The murderer spots the surveillance and escapes - comes up with an elaborate scheme to get his final act - and of course Lucas figures it out just in the nick of time.