The Not So Mundane Mysteries of Norman Melamourne

By: G.J. Terral

Narrated by: Matt Candelario

A down-on-his-luck ex-detective, a jittery professor suspected of murder, and a mystery they can't solve without each other. If Norman Melamourne, a Source-hating ex-detective, had things his way, the Source wouldn't have snapped into existence twenty years ago. After all, it's the reason his wife lost her life; he lost his job, and now even his favorite restaurants use Source-processed ingredients. He can taste the difference, and it's awful.

When a consulting position lands on his plate, it leaves a bad taste, too. The Source was the apparent method of murder. As much as Norman despises the Source, the one hard and fast rule was it couldn't affect living things. But it seems it had, and to make matters worse, the prime suspect, Lance Delum, is the son of the man Norman blames for his wife's death.

Lance Delum, Professor of Source Studies, can't get the image of his student's, Sasha's, magically burned-out eyes from his head. It was an impossible thing, the Source affecting living material, but it had happened, and Lance, for all his knowledge of the damned field, couldn't figure out how. Or why.

Torn between grief and frustration at his lack of understanding, Lance soon finds himself in a desperate attempt to clear his name. Another body was found days after Lance's release, and more circumstantial evidence points to him. As he investigates, Norman’s heart says Lance did it. An expert in the field might be able to pull this off, and the kid came from a bad crop as far as Norman was concerned. But his gut says Lance is being set up, and Norman always trusts his gut.

Getting Lance to trust Norman might be about as difficult as clearing the kid’s name, but the two must work together to prove Lance’s innocence and discover why someone is killing with the Source.

©2025 G.J. Terral (P)2025 G.J. Terral

Love norman!

The story was really good! Absolutely love Norman! Love the voices had me wondering if there was other people than just one person involved in the making.

Narrator’s Performance Stood Out

This is a great cozy-style mystery, novella-length, with a cool sci-fi twist. Quite original, original magic system, etc. Engaging, quirky characters with strengths and flaws. Performer/Narrator Matt Candelario makes a meal out of each and every line. His attention to detail elevated the story and made it clear and easy to follow, with lots of great tension at the end! His characterizations were distinct and engaging. Well done!

Kept my attention!

I’m not one to really listen to audio books, however this sounds be was recommended to me and I loved it! The voices were amazing. The narrator kept my interest at every turn. I can’t wait to listen to more boobs by this narrator! 🙂