On 12 September 2005, Newman announced the publication of The Secret Mulroney Tapes: Unguarded Confessions of a Prime Minister, a biography of former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney, whom he considers a friend. Newman made his name as an author in the 1960s with the publication of two books: Renegade in Power: The Diefenbaker Years (1963), a study of the government of John George Diefenbaker that some say helped destroy the Tory leader's career, and The Distemper of Our Times (1968), an examination of Canadian politics during the era of Lester Pearson.

His 1975 book, The Canadian Establishment, was widely acclaimed. Newman is widely respected for his intimate knowledge and understanding of Canadian business leaders.

In 1978 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to the rank of Companion in 1990. He continues to write a column for the periodical. He has been a reporter for the Financial Post, served as editor of the Toronto Star, and was the long-time editor of Maclean's, stewarding its transformation from a general interest magazine to a weekly news magazine. Newman was educated at Upper Canada College, where he was a member of Seaton's House, and the University of Toronto. His parents were Wanda Maria and Oscar Karel Neumann, a self-made wealthy factory owner. Born in Vienna, Austria, Newman emigrated from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia to Canada in 1940 as a Jewish refugee.

Empire of the Bay by Peter C. Newman