Offering a break from this hectic, media-driven world, author Ruth Crichton Hodges presents a collection of short stories. The Battled Burglar tells the story of Melody McCabe who enjoys living alone. But for the last several days, shes been unable to shake the unsettling feeling shes being watched. She awakes from a nap to discover theres an intruder in her house, and a battle ensues. In The Blue Thief of the Forest, Anna Redmon, her husband, Charles; and their two children are settling in at their campground in Tennessee after the drive from their home in Illinois. Anna removes her diamond ring and leaves it in the middle of the picnic table while the family prepares their site. When the ring disappears, a search begins, and a most unlikely culprit is identified. In Angel on the Waterfront, its Saturday morning in the heart of San Francisco and Chad Devlin is alone. He feels pained because, as a doctor, he was unable to save his wifes life. Hes just about to take a final step to end his own, when fate intervenes. Hodges narratives in Short Stories for Short Breaks reflect a time when life was simpler, and relationships were key.