Yesterday’s News by Adrian Williams is a gripping exploration of ambition, scandal, and downfall, set against the backdrop of late twentieth-century Britain. The novel follows Marcus Botha, a South African mining magnate who, after selling his empire in the 1960s, reinvents himself as a media baron in the UK. Williams deftly charts Botha’s meteoric rise, fuelled by sensationalist journalism that capitalises on the era’s most explosive events—from celebrity scandals and AIDS panic to the Hillsborough disaster and the Poll Tax riots. Botha’s newspapers feed the public’s insatiable appetite for gossip and outrage, making him both a kingmaker and a pariah.

Yet, as apartheid collapses in South Africa, Botha’s past resurfaces. Allegations of his involvement in the deaths of militant black workers threaten to destroy him, and his desperate attempts to avoid extradition are matched only by his private financial woes. A reckless foray into satellite television leaves him on the brink of ruin, leading to the catastrophic decision to plunder his employees’ pension funds.

Williams’ narrative is both a page-turning thriller and a sharp commentary on media ethics, power, and the corrosive effects of unchecked ambition. Yesterday’s News is a timely reminder of how the pursuit of influence and wealth can exact a devastating personal and societal cost.