In the Cage
By Kevin Hardcastle
Biblioasis, $19.95

In the Cage, the first novel by Kevin Hardcastle, follows his award-winning 2015 short story collection, Debris. Like his previous work, In the Cage concerns petty organized crime, rural poverty, and the hard-knock life of Mixed Martial Arts fighters. This time, it features Daniel, whose career-ending injury forces him to keep his family afloat through organized crime. When he tries to go straight, he finds himself up against a returning criminal with a vendetta that promises to take the little Daniel has. Through precise descriptions, In the Cage introduces readers to a memorable character who treads life’s waters just trying to keep his head above the current.