New Review! On St. Nick's Trail (The Talking Dog Detective Agency Series #6) by M.K. Scott 4 Cranky Stars

 

On St. Nick's Trail by M.K. Scott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 Cranky Stars


"Emotions cloud the mind. Any emotion. Fear, anger, and even excitement is enough to make you miss vital information or forget proper procedure."

Nala Bonne thought her job as a Private Eye would be exciting. Instead, she spends most of her time investigating insurance fraud and cheating spouses. "Just another day in Paradise." When her friend, Karly, offers her a missing person job, she jumps at the chance.


The missing person is none other than St. Nick (or at least a Santa impersonator) who has disappeared from the town of Santa Claus, Indiana. This is a big deal since the town relies on tourism and Santa Claus himself is an important part of the atmosphere. The town includes a Christmas themed campground and an amusement park named Christmas Town. Without Santa, can the town survive?


Nala's partner is a rescue German Shepherd named Max, who just happens to be able to talk. While helpful at times, at other times Max's gift makes Nala look insane. The dialogue between Max and Nala is fun and adds a lot to this book.


Once Nala and Max reach Santa Claus, things start to get dicey. A warning message is left in her room in the form of dog jerky treats spelling out "LEAVE". Before Nala can gather any evidence from this, Max scarfs up the treats (of course, he was hungry!). As long as Nala continues to give Max his favorite cheeseburgers, he is willing to put his canine abilities to work and try to sniff out clues. "No one told her that part of being a PI was bribing everyone." Soon, Karly arrives to help with the investigation and the trio make their way over the river to a competing amusement park named Vacation Land. When they check it out, it is pretty boring and most of the patrons are strange looking singles wearing backpacks. Could there be more to this park than just amusement? Max has to use his drug sniffing abilities to try to find out!


If you enjoy cozy mysteries, especially those that include helpful animals, you will enjoy this book. The characters are well-developed, the writing is great and the story is a plausible one. I will definitely be on the lookout for more of the adventures of Nala and Max!




View all my reviews