In this thriller author interview, Spywrite's Jeff Quest sits down with Ace Atkins to dive deep into his nostalgic Cold War spy novel Everybody Wants to Rule the World — a thrilling, 80s-set espionage adventure that blends suburban coming-of-age storytelling with high-stakes KGB intrigue.
As Ronald Reagan and Soviet general secretary Mikhail Gorbachev prepare for a historic nuclear summit in Geneva, what happens in Atlanta might change the course of the Cold War, the twentieth century, and Peter Bennett’s freshman year of high school.
Everybody Wants To Rule The World
Atkins shares how discovering Ian Fleming as a teenager transformed him into a lifelong spy fiction obsessive, eventually shaping his career as a bestselling author. The conversation explores the real-life espionage inspirations behind the novel, including infamous traitors Aldrich Ames, as well as the bizarre and often comedic true story of Soviet defector Vitaly Yurchenko.
From suburban Atlanta in the mid-1980s to the paranoia of Reagan’s Star Wars era, this episode captures the zeitgeist of a time when espionage dominated headlines — and imaginations.
If you love Cold War spy fiction, 80s nostalgia, and tradecraft stranger than fiction, this episode is for you.
Everybody Wants to Rule the World is a 2025 Cold War spy thriller by Ace Atkins, set in 1985 Atlanta, about a 14-year-old boy who suspects his mother's new boyfriend is a KGB agent. The novel blends 1980s pop culture, Cold War paranoia, and real-life espionage history, following the boy's attempts to uncover the truth with a mix of humor and action, drawing comparisons to The Americans and Stranger Things.
Key aspects of the novel:
Themes: Explores Cold War paranoia, espionage, and the cultural touchstones of the 1980s, including music, movies, and fashion
Plot: A suburban teen, Peter Bennett, becomes convinced his mom's new boyfriend, “Gary,” is a Russian spy, leading him to investigate while navigating teenage life in the 80s.
Setting: Atlanta in 1985, a time of peak Cold War tension, featuring local landmarks like Lenox Square and the Varsity.
Genre: A comedic thriller that combines spy fiction with a coming-of-age story, blending elements of Robert Ludlum and Elmore Leonard.
Inspiration: Inspired by Atkins's childhood fantasies and real-life Soviet “illegals” programs, where agents lived undercover in the U.S.
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