Red Line: Chicago Horror Stories

by Cynthia Pelayo, Sahar Mustafah, Sandra Jackson-Opoku

The Second City is second to none when it comes to terror. From H.H. Holmes, America’s first serial killer, to the Jane Byrne Interchange at rush hour, there’s an ill wind blowing through the Windy City. In this new anthology, twenty stories by twenty authors from the Chicago area take you on a bloodcurdling tour of the best city in the world. Featuring new stories by Jotham Austin II, Bendi Barrett, Tina Jenkins Bell, Priya Chand, TJ Cimfel, R.L. Gehringer, Christopher Hawkins, Sandra Jackson-Opoku, Aleco Julius, Nick Medina, Jen Mierisch, Sahar Mustafah, Cynthia Pelayo, K.A. Roy, K. Saab, C.J. Subko, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr., and Lauren Emily Whalen.

Genres: Horror

246 pages, Paperback

Published August 12, 2025

About the author

Cynthia Pelayo is a Bram Stoker Award winning and International Latino Book Award winning author and poet.

Pelayo writes fairy tales that blend genre and explore concepts of grief, mourning, and cycles of violence. She is the author of Loteria, Santa Muerte, The Missing, Poems of My Night, Into the Forest and All the Way Through, Children of Chicago, Crime Scene, The Shoemaker’s Magician, as well as dozens of standalone short stories and poems.

Loteria, which was her MFA in Writing thesis at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, was re-released to praise with Esquire calling it one of the ‘Best Horror Books of 2023.’ Santa Muerte and The Missing, her young adult horror novels were each nominated for International Latino Book Awards. Poems of My Night was nominated for an Elgin Award. Into the Forest and All the Way Through was nominated for an Elgin Award and was also nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection. Children of Chicago was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award in Superior Achievement in a Novel and won an International Latino Book Award for Best Mystery. Crime Scene won the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection. The Shoemaker’s Magician has been released to praise with Library Journal awarding it a starred review.

Her forthcoming novel, The Forgotten Sisters, will be released by Thomas and Mercer in 2024 and is an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid.”

Her works have been reviewed in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, LA Review of Books, and more.

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling collection of short horror stories set in the Windy City. Like any compilation, it has its highs and lows: there were a few stories I found more silly than scary as well as a couple tales that just offered a rundown of Chicago real-life Chicago horrors, from H.H. Holmes to John Wayne Gacy.

But the best stories here blend a sense of this space with otherwordly vibes to unnerve the reader. Among the highlights were:

- "All You Are Is Bright and Clear" by Bendi Barrett, a creepy tale of kink meeting the curved glass of neon signs

- "Lives Matter" by Jotham Austin II, a tight story of nature terror and city teens

- "A Good Kid" by Nick Medina, which transforms the violence terrorizing many Chicago communities into something supernatural

- "The House with Blue Shutters" by Sahar Mustafah, which blends magical powers, family drama and Palestinian dispossession

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of horror stories based in Chicago, written by authors who live in Chicago or have some connection to the city. Stories include tales of ghosts, creatures, demons, angels, and more that take place in the city. Some reference well-known real-life tales from history, while others are new creations.

I liked this collection, especially in the middle and towards the end. Like any collection, don't judge it by one story; if you don't like the story you're reading, skip to the next. There are some really good stories in this book.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A love letter told through speculative fictions writers to the city that has a history (and a present) of violence.