The Cyberthief and the Samurai

   Jeff Goodell
   Dell
   328 Pages
   U.S. $5.99
   ISBN 0-440-22205-2
   _________________________________________________________________

   Reviewed by Chris Gulker

   In  The  Cyberthief  and  the  Samurai,  Rolling  Stone writer Jeff
   Goodell  presents  an  interesting  and  well-researched report on the
   now-famous  hack  of  Tsutomu  Shimomura's  computers on Christmas Day
   1994.

   Unlike  competing  authors  John  Markoff and Jon Littman, Goodell was
   unable  to  get  either  Mitnick  or  Shimimura to cooperate at length
   (Shimimura and Markoff signed a 7-figure deal together, Mitnick was in
   jail). Deprived of the main characters, he proceeds to dig more deeply
   into  surrounding  events  than  either Markoff and Littman, who focus
   squarely on the main personnae.

   And  dig  he  does.  Goodell  reports particularly well on some of the
   really  awful  aspects of Kevin Mitnick's painful life. Taken together
   with  the  other two, this book fills in many gaps and thin patches in
   the celebrated tale.

   Goodell's  rich  context  sets  Mitnick's  obsessive  hacking in sharp
   relief  to  a  tapestry  woven  from  painful  personal  experience: a
   childhood    haunted    by   frequently-changing,   sometime   abusive
   stepfathers,  the  revelation  that  a  favorite  uncle  may have been
   involved  in  the  overdose  death  of a half-brother under mysterious
   circumstances, and more.

   As  the  tail  follows  the  tortuous track from San Diego to Raleigh,
   North  Carolina  many  more  players come to light, and members of the
   main cast are raised into multi-dimensional relief, thanks to Goodell.
   The  bit  players,  investigators,  policemen,  computer  experts, the
   director  of  a half-way house and a guy who rented Mitnick an old car
   in  Raleigh  all  come  to life in interviews with Goodell. One senses
   that  Goodell  could have done a very fine job if he'd been in Markoff
   or  Littman's shoes, with access to the main players (although this is
   not to say that Markoff and Littman don't deliver).

   But  it  wasn't  so: Goodell must settle for a Dell paperback timed to
   take   advantage   of   the   hype   and   publicity  surrounding  the
   Shimomura/Markoff and Littman titles. Nevertheless, his good reporting
   and  wealth  of  detail will be interesting reading for those drawn to
   accounts of the world's most famous hack.