Critic Oline Cogdill recently reviewed Ace Atkins’ novel Everybody Wants to Rule the World. Atkins recently appeared at The Poisoned Pne Bookstore, interviewed by Patrick Millikin. You can order a copy of the book through the Webstore at https://bit.ly/4s0kGJg.
Thank you to Oline for sharing her review. It originally appeared in the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ by Ace Atkins; Morrow; 368 pages; $30
Ace Atkins melds the spy thriller with a suburban story and a family drama in his highly entertaining “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.”
The novel marks a departure for Atkins, best known for his various series, including his Edgar-nominated books about Mississippi Sheriff Quinn Colson, his continuing of the late Robert B. Parker’s Spenser franchise, and his fictionalized accounts of real criminals. “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” is strictly a stand-alone, expanding his talent range.
As the title states, “everybody wants to rule the world” — and everyone wants to be a hero, as Atkins shows. In this case, the would-be hero is 14-year-old Peter Bennett, a voracious reader with an overactive imagination and a desire to fit in. Peter becomes convinced that his mother’s new boyfriend is a Russian spy. It’s a bit of a far-fetched idea, but in 1985 when rumors of espionage were common, it seems plausible. Peter and his mother, Connie, have moved around the country a lot for her work as a scientist, landing this time in Atlanta. Peter likes his new school and has made friends. He knows his mother dates a lot in each city, but he has misgivings about her latest. Gary Powers has an odd accent, is not in the phone book and drives a flashy car where he keeps a gun. Peter worries that Gary really is after the work his mother does for a government contractor.
Atkins digs deep into the mind of a teenager. Peter so wants to be the hero who will save his mother’s life and uncover a Russian operation. But who will believe a high school freshman? Peter tracks down his favorite writer, Dennis “Hotch” Hotchner, who once wrote about spies in suburbia but whose career is on the downslide. Finding a real spy is the jolt Hotch needs.
Atkins introduces so many characters that the first chapters of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” seem a bit disjointed. But he soon pulls the various characters together into a cohesive story that grows in suspense and intensity. His mom’s co-worker is murdered. The FBI becomes involved. And suddenly Atlanta seems overrun with Russians. These various plot points work into a fine narrative. Atkins buoys his story with numerous references to 1980s pop culture and an insider’s look at Atlanta during that era.
“Everybody Wants to Rule the World” shows Atkins at the top of his game.
You can also watch Patrick Millikin’s conversation with Ace Atkins at The Poisoned Pen.