Ace Atkins
Best-selling novelist known for crime fiction who wrote the Cold War spy novel Everybody Wants to Rule the World; discusses 1980s espionage, personal influences, and research behind the book.
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Feb 12, 2026 • 51min
Everybody Wants to Rule the World: 1980s Nostalgia & Cold War Espionage with Ace Atkins
Ace Atkins, bestselling crime novelist who wrote a Cold War spy thriller, discusses 1980s espionage and his teen influences. He revisits suburban 1980s Atlanta, John Hughes vibes, and how Fleming led him to Le Carré. Real-life spy cases, bizarre defections, FBI tradecraft, and pop culture like WarGames and MTV shape the novel’s mood.
