Featured on The Book Show on Sky Arts on 11 December 2008.
An excellent debut with the perfect combination of politics, sex and scandal. The narrative gives a fast pace to the story and the reader gets a real sense of situations spiralling out of control. Looking forward to his next book already!
Robin Burnett has spent years at the heart of power, pulling the strings. With friends in Downing Street, the White House and the CIA he is known as the brightest politician of his generation, tipped to go all the way to the top. But when the media discover that Robin is at the heart of a shocking sex scandal, his glittering career comes to an abrupt end. Robin and those close to him will pay the price of corruption, lies and ruthless ambition, and learn that with a twenty-four hour hungry media, scandal can be hard to avoid. Gavin Esler's novel gives a real sense of the adrenalin of power when you feel the top job is within your grasp. A Scandalous Man presents fascinating, wholly credible scenarios on relationships and secret arrangements with the United States and the Middle East.
”A Scandalous Man” is a compelling book, its political sophistication made luminous with wisdom, sympathy and brilliant story-telling' Bernard Cornwell
‘While Esler’s story is sweeping in scope and complex both politically and emotional, it’s always accessible and fast-paced’ Daily Mirror
‘This is a cracking story, well told, with a conclusion that is as shocking as it is inevitable…Can’t wait for the next one’ Daily Express
Author
About Gavin Esler
Gavin Esler was born in Glasgow, February 27, 1953. Gavin Esler is currently one of the five main presenters on BBC Two's flagship political analysis programme, Newsnight. He joined the programme in January 2003. Esler also presents Dateline London most Sunday mornings at 11am on BBC News 24. The programme is also broadcast on BBC World. Esler also hosts Radio 4 factual series, Four Corners along with fellow Scottish broadcaster, Anne MacKenzie. Recently he has begun to present the Five O'Clock News with Huw Edwards on News 24 when Edwards is away.
Educated at George Heriot's School, Edinburgh, Esler gained a BA in English and American literature from the University of Kent and a further MA in Anglo-Irish literature from the University of Leeds in 1975. He first entered journalism on the Belfast Telegraph in 1976.
Esler joined the BBC in 1977 as Northern Ireland reporter, and extended his role upon joining Newsnight in 1982. Esler was then made Washington correspondent and later chief North America correspondent for the BBC, in charge of shaping coverage across the whole continent for the corporation, and covering both the earlier George H. W. Bush and Clinton administrations.
Esler also spent several years during the mid 1980s as presenter of BBC One's regional news programme for London and the South East of England - Newsroom South East.
He shaped and directed coverage for the BBC's rolling news service BBC News 24 on the Clinton/Lewinsky scandals. His report on the military build up in the Aleutian islands as part of the Reagan administration's New Maritime Strategy earned him a Royal Television award.
Esler's journalistic credentials extend further across the globe, however: he has reported for news and documentary programmes across Europe, Russia, China and North and South America. He writes a regular column for The Scotsman, The Independent and other publications.
He is married with two children and his hobbies include camping, hiking and skiing.
