Attorney, scholar, and human-rights activist Chaudry tackles the audio edition of her book chronicling the ordeal of her younger brother's best friend Adnan Syed, the subject of the first season of the popular true-crime podcast Serial. (Syed, who has spent almost two decades imprisoned in Maryland for the death of his former girlfriend Hae Min Lee, was recently granted a new trial.) Chaudry brings a palpable sense of passion and drive to the recording. When speaking in the first person with regard to being Muslim and her close connections to Syed, Chaudry's delivery takes on an engaging conversational quality. When reading the complex maze of transcripts and evidence accounts, Chaudry's manner seems a bit less polished. Yet fans of the radio-journalism style that the very case in question helped bring to the forefront will appreciate her thorough, no-nonsense approach. The audiobook also includes a special PDF of documents related to Syed's case, a straightforward, no-frills display of the written record that presents the wide-ranging scope of Syed's defense. A St. Martin's hardcover. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Chaudry was a law student when her younger brother's good friend Adnan Syed was arrested for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee. Back in 2000, the case made local headlines, but nothing could be compared to the national attention it attracted when Sarah Koenig decided to produce the podcast Serial for This American Life in 2013. Thanks to the national publicity of Serial, the following podcast Undisclosed, and the hours of work by Chaudry and other prominent lawyers and friends, Syed was granted a new trial in June 2016. Chaudry, with Syed's approval, details even more mistakes and travesties of the murder investigation and the trial. As recently as August 2016, controversies over Syed's alibi have been in the news, and many high school students listen to the podcast in class. While the book is a bit clunky toward the end, readers will still want to acquire all the facts to decide for themselves if Syed is guilty or innocent. VERDICT Fans of Serial will eagerly read more about the case, and true crime enthusiasts will download the podcast after reading this title.-Sarah Hill, Lake Land College, Mattoon, IL © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Nothing about this case is normal, learns Chaudry, who spent more than a decade advocating for Adnan Syed, her brother's best friend, before bringing his case to the attention of journalist Sarah Koenig. In 2014, Koenig narrated Syed's story via the popular podcast Serial, a spin-off of the radio program This American Life. Recounted is the racial and religious profiling that occurred as Syed was convicted of the first-degree murder of his ex-girlfriend in 1999, denied bail, given a life sentence, and refused multiple appeals-all while enduring a negligent lawyer who was later disbarred. In building their case against Syed, Chaudry maintains, the state of Maryland followed no other leads; ignored crime scene evidence; engaged in witness tampering, including offering rewards; and arrested Syed's only alibi. Chaudry, a lawyer who hosts the podcast Undisclosed, also reveals inconsistencies in cell phone evidence among other key records. Interspersed among detailed court proceedings are reflections from Syed. Most haunting are depictions of his family members, who each grieve in their own way. VERDICT A skillfully written account of injustice that will have wide appeal to fans of Serial and readers of human interest stories, and is especially timely as Syed's conviction was vacated in July 2016 and a new trial granted.--Stephanie Sendaula, Library Journal © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.