FROM THE HOST OF THE HIT PODCAST I CATCH KILLERS

THE BESTSELLING TRUE CRIME BOOK OF 2022

As a cop, I used to sit on one side of the interview room table facing murderers, child abductors and rapists. Now I’m sitting on the other side: disgraced, forced out of the police and judged to be a criminal. I want to show you what the world looks like from here.

Talking to crooks, cops, forensic psychologists, scientists and victims, I’ve gone back to some of Australia’s worst acts of badness, including unsolved murders that never made the front pages as well as infamous killings carried out by Ivan Milat and the Granny Killer, the murder of Anita Cobby, the Hoddle Street massacre, Port Arthur, horrific abuse at the Parramatta girls’ home and the disappearance of preschooler William Tyrrell.

What I’ve found has made me question everything, including where evil comes from, what drives us to commit crimes and how we can prevent them. I used to think I was on the side of the angels. Now I am not so sure.

Gary Jubelin was one of Australia’s most celebrated Homicide detectives, leading investigations into the William Tyrrell case, the serial killing of three Aboriginal children in Bowraville and the brutal gangland murder of Terry Falconer. In 2020, he was found guilty of illicitly recording conversations with a witness. Since leaving the NSW Police Force, he has built a career in the media, working in newspapers, television and podcasts. Gary still works hard to help the victims of crime.

THE #1 TRUE CRIME BESTSELLER. Serial killings, child abductions, organised crime hits and domestic murders. This is the memoir of a homicide detective.

WINNER OF 2021 DANGER PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION

Here I am: tall and broad, shaved head, had my nose broken three times fighting. Black suit, white shirt, the big city homicide detective. I’ve led investigations into serial killings, child abductions, organised crime hits and domestic murders. But beneath the suit, I’ve got an Om symbol in the shape of a Buddha tattooed on my right bicep. It balances the tattoo on my left ribs: Better to die on your feet than live on your knees. That’s how I choose to live my life.

As a cop, I got paid to catch killers and I learned what doing it can cost you. It cost me marriages and friendships. It cost me my reputation. They tell you not to let a case get personal, but I think it has to. Each one has taken a piece out of me and added a piece, until there’s only pieces.

I catch killers – it’s what I do. It’s who I am.

Gary Jubelin was one of Australia’s most celebrated detectives, leading investigations into the disappearance of preschooler William Tyrrell, the serial killing of three Aboriginal children in Bowraville and the brutal gangland murder of Terry Falconer. During his 34-year career, Detective Chief Inspector Jubelin also ran the crime scene following the Lindt Cafe siege, investigated the death of Caroline Byrne and recovered the body of Matthew Leveson. Jubelin retired from the force in 2019. This is his story.