The books were inspired by a real life -A known as the circleville letters?
A series of anonymous, threatening letters recieved by people in a small town in 1976.The writer seemed to know secret details about the people who got the notes. The case was never solved. It was once discussed on the 80’s TV series UNSOLVED MYSTERIES.
Here’s more information: (long, but very interesting read)
Circleville, Ohio is a small town just south of Columbus. In 1976, a school bus driver named Mary Gillespie received a mysterious note in the mail. It accused her of having an affair with the superintendent of schools. Allegedly it said in part: “I know where you live. I’ve been observing your house and know you have children. This is no joke. Please take it serious.” No signature, no return address. It was postmarked from Columbus, Ohio. A week later, she received another note with this same message.
Her husband soon starts receiving notes as well. The letter-writer wanted him to stop the alleged affair between Mary Gillespie and the superintendent. One letter read in part: “Gillispie, you have had 2 weeks and done nothing. Make her admit the truth and inform the school board. If not, I will broadcast it on CBs, posters, signs, and billboards, until the truth comes out.”
The Gillespies told three people about the letters: Ron’s sister, her husband Paul Freshour, and Paul’s sister. Evidently they had an idea of the author of these notes and sent a few threatening notes to him/her. The letters stopped.
In August of 1977, Ron received a phone call. He took his weapon, told his children he was going to confront the letter writer, and left. He then lost control of his car at an intersection and died in a car accident. His gun had been fired once, for reasons unknown. His blood alcohol level was .16.
The letters kept coming. Mary Gillespie and the superintendent admitted to an intimate relationship, but said it began after the letters were sent (insert eye roll here).
In 1983, Mary discovered a booby trap along her bus route. On the side of a rural road, a sign was put up. Mary pulled the sign down, and upon inspection, found a gun inside that was supposed to go off when she ripped down the sign. The strange booby trap had failed. And whose gun was used in the trap? Paul Freshour’s gun, that’s whose gun! Paul claimed someone had stolen it years ago.
The police brought Paul in and gave him an ingenious test—-he was told to copy the Circleville letters and emulate the author’s handwriting. How anyone thought this would prove or disprove that he actually wrote them, we are uncertain. Paul Freshour was convicted of attempted murder, based on circumstantial evidence. His prison sentence was 7 to 25 years.
Much to the town of Circleville’s surprise, the notes continued after Paul Freshour was sent to prison. They were still postmarked from Columbus, even though Paul was serving time across the state. He was heavily monitored and investigated, and no evidence of letter-writing/sending/smuggling could be found. Paul was paroled after serving ten years of his sentence. He received a note from the letter writer seven years into his sentence (around 1990). It read in part: “Now when are you going to believe you aren’t going to get out of there? I told you 2 years ago. When we set ‘em up, they stay set up. Don’t you listen at all?”
A fellow bus driver had driven by the spot where the sign was erected minutes before Mary saw it, and she reported seeing a yellow El Camino on the side of the road and a man was outside the car, turned away, unable to be identified. This testimony was not included in Freshour’s trial.
The letters stopped, and Circleville moved on. The Circleville writer actually wrote a note to Unsolved Mysteries before they aired their segment.
^ that’s an image of the letter.
People received letters saying the sheriff had covered up the murder by ruling if as an accident, and much more.
prettylittlehonesty 
