As a newspaper crime reporter covering cops and courts in the 1990s and early 2000s I became aware of the name of now legendary detective Ron Iddles.

The Victorian homicide detective with a 99% conviction rate was fast gaining the admiration of fellow officers, the general public, the media, and even the crims he put away – not an easy feat in in the “Underbelly era”, where corruption, scandal and suspicion were the order of the day.

But it wasn’t just his professional abilities on more than 300 homicide cases that earned him the title of “Australia’s greatest detective”. What emerges in Justine Ford’s new comprehensive and readable biography, as she traces Iddles’ personal life and 25-year career, is a decent, hardworking and likeable gentleman who remained true to himself, despite the horrors he saw, and his unprecedented success rate and accolades.

” If you don’t break your values and don’t promise something you can’t deliver, you can get trust in the criminal world, and people will talk to you. I think over a long period of time you build up a reputation but that doesn’t come overnight. And if you do anything to compromise it, you never get it back.” – Ron Iddles 

Those lucky enough to have worked with Iddles describe him as meticulous, conscientious, efficient and energetic, but mostly “a good bloke”. Alongside his stoicism, straight talk and dogged determination to put away a range of offenders, he retains empathy, humility and a strong sense of privilege in serving the state and providing answers, which he says every victims’ family deserves.

Iddles admits to shedding tears for many victims at the end of the day but also taking the time to listen to criminals: “The greatest gift you can give anyone is the ability to listen. And you never know what someone might tell you,” Iddles says. “Information about a crime might come to light or a life might be saved.”

Many of his mantras scattered through the book, like this importance of listening, mirror the rules of reporting. Journalism’s ABCs of Accuracy, Brevity and Clarity are matched by Iddle’s ABCs of homicide: “Assume nothing, Believe nothing, Check everything, and ensure the facts guide you.” And just like today’s journalism lecturers encourage reporters to put down their smart phones and wear out some shoe leather, Iddles tells new detectives: “If you do not get out and talk to people you will never solve a crime. Crimes are not solved sitting at your desk.”

From the country boy inspired to join the police force by the 1960s-born television series, Homicide, to the devoted city detective who will go down in history for solving some of the state’s most infamous and compelling crimes, Ron Iddles’ story is an insightful look into a life dedicated to making the world a better place. For those who enjoy some true crime, mixed with some true Aussie legend The Good Cop is a good read. – Fiona West