In the Cage (Trade Paper)

Description

Daniel is one of the most feared cage fighters in Mixed Martial Arts, closing in on greatness until an injury ruins his career. Forced back to his rural hometown, career derailed, he slips into the criminal underworld, moonlighting as muscle for a mid-level gangster he has known since childhood. Battling a cycle of rural poverty, Daniel and his wife Sarah struggle to secure a better life for their daughter, but in this violent and unpredictable world of back-country criminals and county cops, Daniel sparks a conflict that can only be settled in blood. Written in spare, muscular prose,In the Cagepenetrates the heart of what it means to endure life in the underclass, revealing the small joys found there.PRAISE FOR KEVIN HARDCASTLEThere is a sure-handed display of craftsmanship in these eleven stories Everyone gets hurt, but everything makes sense, and the storytelling is so goodthe language, a soothing balm for the pain.John Irving,The Cider House Rules[Debris] has its own strong voice smoothly connected by uncompromising settings and Hardcastles authentic, plainspoken country-noir voice, the 11 stories collected here will appeal to fans of gritty, back-country crime fiction, even those who typically shun short stories.Booklistdisheartening but engrossing absorbing yet harrowing the darkness of In The Cage commands attention.Brett Josef Grubisic,MacleansHardcastles signature style [is] a kind of rural poetry that includes stylistic flourishes, neologisms, and evocative use of compound words closer in spirit to McCarthy than Hemingway. Steven W. Beattie,Quill & QuireHardcastle has the ability to turn clichs on their head; where we think the narrative is going explodes time and again into something both surprising and heartbreaking [he] shows a mastery of form and storytelling.Winnipeg Free PressHardcastles descriptions possess an elegant choreography that is vivid, energetic, and well-paced In the Cagelike its protagonist, Danielis well structured, engaging, and hard to dislike. Shawn Syms,Foreword ReviewsI have yet to read a book published by that has disappointed me. . . I found Hardcastles writing style distinctive and mesmerizing. He writes about this grim place and these wounded and beaten characters with love, making it not only bearable to read about, but beautiful. Consumed by Ink