Writer Cam Jeffreys has released a quirky crime novel set in Perth that will have readers chuckling at the unique and recognisable parts of our city.
By Ara Jansen
Can poetry save a life? In Royce Leville’s version of Perth, unravelling mysterious lines of poetry are what’s going to solve the crime in his new book titled Botany.
Royce Leville is a pen name for writer Cam Jeffreys, who originally hails from Perth, but has been based in Hamburg, Germany for several decades.
As well as working as a commercial writer, he runs Rippple Media, the home for his creative work, which over the years has included books, films, TV, content, branding, travel, music and workshops. His first screenplay has received development funding from the Hamburg Film Commission, has two established production companies on board and is currently in pre-production there.
Botany is Cam’s seventh book and the start of a series starring Quintus Huntley, a washed-up university poet trying to find his next lines but instead finds himself trying to solve a crime before it gets pinned on him.
Poetry is involved and understanding the clues in the stanzas will get Quintus and a rag-taggle team to the finish line.
One of the fun aspects of the book is that it’s set in Perth and features a lot of places you’ll recognise. There are also plenty of the types of characters you’ll recognise, which will sometimes make you laugh out loud because they are just so Perth.
“For Perth people reading the book, there will be things which don’t require much description,” says Cam. “By saying someone grew up at Trigg Beach, it tells you some things.
“Perth is a pretty unique place and when you live here or stay here for a while you don’t get a sense of how truly isolated it is.
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“I knew I wanted to write a book about Perth but also where the landscape and place felt like an integral character in the story. Aspect like the wind and the flies, which everyone recognises.
“I also wanted it to be fun. The first drafts were a lot more violent and hardcore, but I felt it needed the element of fun – despite the crime, the sun still shines. The characters in the book are trying to do the right thing and you probably would have a drink with them if you met them in the pub.”
Cam grew up in Williams and then in the Perth hills before moving to Europe. He represented Australia in at the world triathlon championships in 2013 and 2017.
A guy he met playing an Aussie Rules game in Frankfurt got Cam his first copywriting job and that kicked off his career more than two decades ago. Since then, he’s written copy for some of the world’s biggest brands, alongside satisfying his own creativity with different writing projects through Rippple – the three P’s standing for producer to public publishing.
While he’s lived overseas for a long time, Cam visits Perth regularly to see family and friends. These trips have continuously reminded him of aspects of life which are very typically Perth and provided plenty of fodder for Botany.
Fiercely independent, Cam says he’s always thought of his books in terms of legacy.
“What I care about is producing a book I love and am proud of and that readers find and enjoy. If I write a good book, people will find it. I do this because I love it. I believe in creating things that are going to stay around.”
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