Everybody Wants to Rule the World

A Novel

By: Ace Atkins

Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews

Elmore Leonard meets Robert Ludlum in a rollicking comedic thriller set in 1985 from acclaimed author Ace Atkins, in which a suburban teen suspects his mom’s new boyfriend is the ultimate bad guy—a KGB agent.

It’s 1985, what will soon become known as “The Year of the Spy,” and fourteen-year-old Peter Bennett is convinced his mom’s new boyfriend is a Russian agent. “Gary” isn’t in the phone book, has an unidentifiable European accent, and keeps a gun in the glove box of his convertible Porsche. Peter thinks Gary only wants to get close to his mom because she works at Scientific Atlanta, a lab with big government contracts. But who is going to believe him? He’s just a kid into BMX and MTV.

But after another woman who works at the lab is killed, Peter recruits an unlikely pair of allies—a has-been pulp writer and muckraker named Dennis Hotchner and his drag performer buddy and heavy, Jackie Demure. Both soon become the target of an unhinged Russian hitman (Is it Gary? Maybe!) with a serious Phil Collins obsession.

Meanwhile, Sylvia Weaver, a young, Black FBI agent, investigates Scientific Atlanta in the wake of the employee’s murder and discovers a nest of Russian spies in the Southern “city too busy to hate.” Little does she know her investigation is being thwarted by a seriously compromised colleague in Washington, D.C., who is in league with a lovesick, hypochondriac KGB defector who is playing both sides of the Cold War to his benefit.

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.

Favorite listen of the year

As a kid of the 1980s and growing up in Atlanta- this is a fun read and trip memory lane. Twist. Turns. Spies. Hysterical dialogue. Definitely want a sequel to see where they all end up!

A gem

I loved every second of this book. Its not only a good mystery but clever, well narrated and humorous. Highly recommend

So Much Fun

I loved this! The characters are each so unique and so well explained. Hard to have a favorite and each one is vital to the story. But, okay fine it’s Jackie. He’s my favorite. Closely followed by Hotch & Peter. Their strange but powerful connection was very moving. I loved how the details coming together to explain everything about their motivations. The Cold War history is spun here with so much dark humor.

This audiobook pacing is fantastic. Extra bravo to the narration which made each character crisp and cleanly executed. From teenager to transvestite. From southern belle to Moscow thug. What a performance.

His best work yet!

This book was so much fun. I’m not usually one for historical thrillers / fiction, but the way this was written and the research and care that went into creating Peter’s world was evident and once i started the story, I didn’t look back. I’ll be recommending to anyone who’ll listen!