Having the KKK terrorizing your city is bad enough without an Elder One also using them to return. Priest has written another great adaptation of history and gothic horror. Chapelwood is set 30 years after Maplecroft and takes place during the historical tensions of Birmingham, Alabama. The real life hatchet murders are attributed in the book to a growing, eldritch presence brought about by the ironically named True Americans and their ties to the KKK. Tensions rise, and the mysterious murders gain some attention nationwide. Simon Wolfe and Elizabeth Borden both feel pulled to the area to investigate further, getting drawn into the local political conflict alongside the cosmic one. 
 Priest chooses again to write this in an epistolary style, including some new voices amongst those who are returning from the first novel. This allows the reader to continue seeing the motivations and desires of the writers while also providing subtle hints into their characters, especially based on to whom they chose to address their letters. The atmosphere of the South and that of the Lovecraftian inspiration are perfectly captured. Mannerisms, politeness, and cultural differences are all remarked upon believably, helping draw the reader in. I am sad that this series is finished after only two novels, but Chapelwood does make a fitting end. The characters find resolutions that feel appropriate and realistic.