Armed — Elaine Macko

Murder, Mayhem, and Mannequins! It couldn't be creepier. When Alex Harris, owner of the Always Prepared temporary agency, trips over the body of Mrs. Scott, she becomes the prime suspect in the murder. And with the police about to lock her up for good, Alex decides it's time she took matters into her own hands before the real murderer strikes again and really ruins Christmas. Along with her sister and partner, Samantha Daniels, and their assistant, Millie Chapman, the Winston Churchill-quoting, M&M-addicted Alex probes and plods through red herring after red herring uncovering a lot more than murder. In between shuttling her loan shark grandmother to bingo games and her collections, Alex finds time to investigate with a bulldog tenacity that would make Winston proud. Not even a midnight caper in the factory and an attack from a mechanical mannequin gone berserk can keep her from finding out the truth to the deadly deeds lurking within. In this, the first Alex Harris Mystery, follow our heroine to Christmas night and the murderer's home where Alex unravels the secrets behind the murder, and manages to get clobbered in the bargain!