Nala’s running low on cash, so when Karly’s aunt and uncle offer her a bundle to locate a missing person, she grabs it. She’ll be looking for … Santa Claus.

His real name is Chris Natale, but he immerses himself in his role as Santa all year long in Santa Claus, Indiana, and he’s been missing for quite a while. Bob and Selma are good friends with Natale and the only people who’ve noticed Chris’ absence. They’re hoping Nala and Max can find him before anyone else realizes he’s gone, with Nala disguised as a photographer and, according to Max, dog chauffeur.

But when they find Natale’s house trashed and a secret safe room with a state-of-the-art surveillance system, they wonder just why Santa Claus needs 360-degree cameras at home. Not to mention how hinky Uncle Bob is acting.

The town has two competing theme parks:  Christmas Land, which is wildly successful and employs about half the town, and Vacation Land, which is not. Virtually every attraction at Vacation Land is nonfunctional, and those that work, like the flume ride with yellow-tinted water, are underwhelming. Nala, like most of Santa Clause’s citizens, wonder how it stays open.

Natale is formally employed by Christmas Land and is scheduled to sit on the throne the Friday before Halloween, which is only days away. Officer Tyler Goodnight reinvigorates his romance with Nala by showing up to help her in the search, and Karly lends a hand as well. However, Max outshines them all with a new talent, the origin of which he declines to disclose.

Once again, M.K. Wyatt has written another funny, action-packed mystery that keeps readers glued to the page. Nala and Max always deliver humorous sleuthing, and On St Nick’s Trail is no exception.