The Agreement

by J.A. Konrath

How far would you do to get out of a gambling debt?

THE AGREEMENT is a short story that originally appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in March 2005. It currently appears in the Konrath story collection 65 PROOF.

Because THE AGREEMENT ties into the Jack Daniels thriller LAST CALL, Konrath has made it available on its own. Also included is a chapter from LAST CALL.

Warning: Though this only takes a few minutes to read, the images will stick with your for life. This is a wickedly mean story. So let the reader beware...

If you are a more sensitive (or adventurous) reader, this handy scale rates specific categories from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) to give you some idea if this is your kind of book.

THE AGREEMENT by JA Konrath
Bad Language - 2
Scary - 6
Violent - 9
Funny - 3
Sexy - 0

Genres: Short Stories, Thriller, Mystery

33 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 7, 2016

About the author

Joe Konrath has written over twenty novels in the Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels thriller series. They do not have to be read chronologically to be enjoyed, but the order is: Whiskey Sour, Bloody Mary, Rusty Nail, Dirty Martini, Shot of Tequila, Fuzzy Navel, Cherry Bomb, Dead On My Feet, Serial Killers Uncut (with Blake Crouch), Shaken, Stirred (with Blake Crouch), Dying Breath, Everybody Dies, Rum Runner, Last Call, White Russian, Shot Girl, Chaser, Old Fashioned, Bite Force, and Witch Brew. More coming soon.

Wow, that's a lot of Jack.

If you like your thrillers on the dark side, check out the Konrath Dark Thriller Collective, which includes the books The List, Origin, Afraid, Trapped, Endurance, Haunted House, Webcam, Disturb, What Happened To Lori, The Nine, Second Coming, and Close Your Eyes.

Joe also wrote the Stop A Murder mystery puzzle series, where you become the sleuth and solve brain teasers to try and catch a killer.

He also wrote the sci-fi trilogy, Timecaster, Timecaster Supersymmetry, and Timecaster Steampunk. Even if you don't think you like sci-fi, give them a try. They feature Joe's well-known characters from his other series, and are insane.

With Ann Voss Peterson he wrote the Codename: Chandler thrillers, including Flee, Spree, Three, Hit, Exposed, Naughty, Fix (with F. Paul Wilson), Rescue, and Free.

And, finally, he writes erotica under the pen name Melinda DuChamp, also with Ann Voss Peterson. Those books are probably too spicy for you, so only the brave and bold should seek them out.

Joe writes a lot. You should probably read everything.

You can visit Joe and sign up for his newsletter at www.JAKonrath.com/mailing-list.php

Reviews

[Kimberly]

Intense story. After reading this, I realized I had read it before in a collection of the author's.

[Mylene]

Absolutely incredible short story, with a twist. It is intriguing and a page turner. It also has Konrath's usual prose, that pulls you in and then spits you right out. I can't recommend this author enough, especially if you have yet to read his novels and short stories. You can find him listed as JA Konrath or Jack Kilborn. One comment I do have to make though, is that his earlier work is my favorite. I'm not saying that anything recent is poor, just not as intriguing, fun, and as visceral as his earlier work (I'm thinking Trapped, Endurance, Afraid, earliest Jack Daniels novels, Draculas, Killers and Serial Uncut......) The only contradiction I will make to this comment is that the latest Jack Daniels novels (Last Call and White Russian) were excellent. So if you want a starter story to see if you like this author... try this out. I think you will be checking out more of his work shortly ;)

[Mike Kazmierczak]

When I finished this short story, it reminded me of a Tales From The Crypt story. The story delivered and did it quickly. With little fanfare, we're immediately pulled into the setup for the main event. Bernard Huston is playing cards and gambling with a mobster. And even worse, he's borrowed a large sum of money to do so. Of course, Huston loses and must pay back his debt. That is when Huston and the mobster come to The Agreement. Just like a Tales From The Crypt episode, The Agreement is the crux of the story; why the prelude was written in the first place. This is what we've been waiting for. At the beginning of the short story, Konrath says that he was not able to sell the story because it was too violent. Personally I would have qualified it as gruesome or intense instead of violent. Something that will make you cringe in sympathetic pain! Then at the end, the mobster throws out his final line that would sound perfect coming from The Cryptkeeper and followed by his maniacal laugh.

[Yvonne Taylor]

WOW!!

I have read many of J.A. Konrath's books!! They draw you in and keep you reading until all hours of the night...

[Armand Rosamilia]

I've read this short story before in one of his collections and it was a personal favorite. The humor despite the dark plot and the matter-of-fact way things unroll is perfect.

[Jerry B]

This roughly 5-minute short story (previously published in “Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine” in 2005) was apparently made available (thankfully for free) as an ebook for the purpose of including a teaser chapter from “Last Call.” That latter novel is a collaboration of Konrath & Blake Crouch, supposedly the conclusion of a long saga featuring Crouch’s villain Luther Kite and of course Konrath's familiar leading lady Jack Daniels (10th in her currently 11-book set).

The tale features a gambler who cannot afford to pay off his losses to a mobster, who is more than prepared to torture him to death as a result. Only a bit of a twist at the end saved this violent account from being a 1-star affair. Worth what was paid!

[Derek Doyle]

I DO like a short book BUT this takes the biscuit.
It’s a chapter at most, an interesting and entertaining chapter as it was and I really was enjoying it - I needed more. I was just getting into it when it ended. I read on kindle, which tells you what % of the book remains so I was okay thinking I had half the book still to read when it ended, the remaining 50% was taken up with passages for other books. Overall, disappointed 😔 but didn’t lose too much time ........... 😂

[Tialisa]

Searingly spectacular

A quick little read that had me gritting my teeth. The characters are surprisingly well formed for such a short story and you feel for Hutson even though he put himself in the predicament.

[kath mclean]

What a fabulous quick read

Give stars for a gutsy enthralling storyline
Grips you from the first words
Makes you feel what the characters feel

And a quirky ending
Recommended

[Jim]

Clearly Konrath, albeit a very early short story. Understandable why he couldn't sell it when he first wrote it as, I think, a college student. Fun, but I figured out the ending about halfway through. Really for Konrath completists only.

JM Tepper

[Madelon]

Whether you know him as J. A. Konrath or Jack Kilborn, odds are you have either cringed in terror or rolled on the floor laughing while reading his books. I have done both.

"The Agreement" is of the cringeworthy variety. If you gambled away your last dime and quite a bit more, how far would you go to repay the debt?

[Jason Brock]

Eh....

Alright for a short story....loved the irony of the ending though...word to the wise listen very carefully to what you agree to...might save you a lot of pain and disfigurement

[Janet]

very good

[Alison]

Ok

Doesn't make much sense and there is crucial contradiction with the ending. Like konrads other stories better. Just an ok story.

[Renita K Thompson]

Wow what a trip!

Loved this short story, funny, but not funny ending. Very descriptive and you really feel sad for the guy :-(. Great job!!

[Mary]

Tough to read

The author was right, it is a bit too violent to enjoy. Description was a bit too vivid for my stomach.

[Joan]

I've read other books by this author that I liked. I downloaded a mass freebie (34 titles) based mostly on his name. This one was okay for a short story, I guess.

[Mindy]

Intense short story

Excellent and extremely intense short story. The last line is priceless. It's quick, and straight the action. I really liked it.

[Bill Gilder]

Great little short story

If you gamble you better have the money to cover your markers! Didn't take long to read. Love Monday's books.

[Karen]

5 star story with 1 removed for the portrayal of a 911 dispatcher who wouldn't be employed.

[Dave Butler]

Very effective short story with a bite - enjoyed a lot

[Katie]

Sick. Clever ending. Not much of a story though.

[Chris]

Typical Konrath horror! No matter how gross it gets, he manages to top it.... every time! Very short story......... but a page turner nonetheless! If you are a fan of JA Konrath, this ones for you. Happy reading. PS........ don't read this one while you are eating!

[Edmund de Wight]

This is an intense short story. It's a tie in to another of Konrath's books in his Jack Daniels crime thriller series but can be read totally as a stand alone story.
A man is playing cards with another, very bad, man. He's bet much more than he can afford to pay and has agreed to pay within the hour if he loses...and...he loses.
The next part does not play out as he expected. He is forced to provide payment or else. The 'or else' is rather nasty and I won't spoil it by saying anything here. Needless to say you'll have no problem imagining what is happening, how it feels and smells and how horrible it is for the main character because Konrath does a masterful job of sucking you in with description and pacing.
Great fast read and a good lesson for writers who want to learn how to write very tense scenes.
By the end you'll learn the value of not getting in over your head and paying attention to precise wording.

[Britt Echols]

Guy loses a poker hand of $30,000. Doesn't have the money so he makes an agreement to hold his hand on a burner for 10 seconds. The pain is extreme and he passes out a few times. He had to do it twice since the first was only 7 seconds. I love the ending where the mobster says before he leaves that they agreement never said he had to turn the burner on. Damn!!!!!

[Wynn]

The cover image of the book tells the story. It's dark and humorous like Konrath's style. The lesson in the end is one to remember ~ literally.

[Ryan]

Great 5 minute read

Pretty graphic for such a short story, but it's good. I liked the last line a lot. Will read again.

[Douglas Castagna]

Short story that is referenced in Last Call by the author. Fast and short with an ironic twist.

[Joanne]

wow a very short gripping story - The Last Call referred to this story several times

[Sandra Burns]

Good short read

Very interesting read. Loved the characters, and the punishment. Did not see the ending, last line coming! A real shocker.