Review of The Watchman Posted

Amazon.com just posted my three star review of The Watchman by Jonathan Littman. From the review:

The Watchman by Jonathan Littman is a tough book to review. The author states that he started writing a book about Kevin Poulsen (The Watchman), then delayed that project to write a book about Kevin Mitnick (The Fugitive Game, or TFG). After finishing TFG, the author returned to the Poulsen book. Unfortunately, it seems that the approach that the author took in TFG (recounting direct telephone conversations with Kevin Mitnick) didn't translate well for The Watchman. Whereas TFG covers the part of the time Mitnick was on the run and speaking with the author, The Watchman tries to tell the overall story of Kevin Poulsen's life. The end result is not likely to reflect reality as well as a story where the author was a first-hand participant. It seems several of the main characters in The Watchman, most notable Poulsen himself, disagree with their portrayal in the book. Nevertheless, The Watchman is worth reading since it is the only book on Kevin Poulsen; just beware its likely weaknesses.

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