Former NSW Detective Superintendent Ron Stephenson opens his casebook to reveal a lifetime spent pursuing Sydney’s most dangerous criminals. In this gripping collection of true crime accounts, he takes readers inside investigations that shocked Australia — the car bombing of the Hakoah Club, the chilling “ice-pick murders,” the poisoning of unsuspecting tenants, and the underworld assassinations that rocked the racing and gambling scene.
Stephenson writes from the front lines of a very different era of policing, long before DNA analysis, digital databases, or advanced forensic technology. Crimes were solved through dogged detective work: long nights of surveillance, cultivating informants, spotting the small detail others missed, and sheer persistence. His stories not only chart the unraveling of brutal crimes but also capture the atmosphere of Sydney’s streets, clubs, and back alleys during a turbulent period of the city’s history.
More than just a record of cases, The Scent of a Crime is a testament to the craft of old-school detection and a vivid portrait of Australia’s criminal underworld. It is essential reading for anyone fascinated by true crime, policing history, or the gritty realities behind headline-making investigations.
