The Case of the Green-Dressed Ghost

 The Case of the Green-Dressed Ghost (Dr. Ribero’s Agency of the Supernatural---Book 1)

by Lucy Banks    284 pages

I was intrigued when I saw this book. I mean, look at that cover. It’s so intriguing that readers, especially lovers of a good ghost story, will pick up. The back cover copy is equally as enticing. It promises “A contemporary twist on the Victorian Gothic novel with a dash of humour to lighten the eerie, sinister tone of this modern day ghost story.” With a sentence like that, it’s just gotta be read.

The first sentence is ripe with foreshadowing. I’ve never read a first sentence that is able to put so much prophesy in only five words.  Between the fist and back covers and the first sentence, I couldn’t wait to dive in.

Twenty-two-year-old Kester Lanner lost his mother to cancer two weeks ago. Her dying wish was that he locates Dr. Ribero. Kester had never heard of this person until his dying mother uttered them as her final words.

Kester is an introverted, shy and quiet young man. He hates adventure, yet here he is standing outside the building where the office of Dr. Ribero’s Agency of the Supernatural is located. Once he makes it inside, he learns that there is more to the agency than the name. Dr. Ribero has four employees who all stare at him as he walks opens the office door.

And now here the story takes a nosedive. Ribero’s employees bicker and squabble. They are always insulting each other. The three women and one man reminded me of a pack of silly adolescent boys. But I kept reading, waiting for the good stuff. Unfortunately, it never arrived.

Kester is invited to join the team, but he isn’t sure. He goes on a few minor jobs with the team involving spirts that was, frankly, stupid. Not a hint of a sinister tone anywhere. Kester doesn’t fit in. He prefers a more academic, structured environment.

Then the agency gets a call for a rally big case, the case they need to stabilize their business. During the first tangle with the green-dressed ghost, Kester realizes his isn’t cut out for this sort of life. But Ribero and the team like having him around. As they get further into the case, Kester discovers the gift that only he can bring.

The battle with the green-dressed ghost begins. And it’s just as silly as the previous jobs. It’s the team that gets in the way. They are so asinine.

I was extremely disappointed in Banks’ debut novel. I had high hopes for a great read, but all I got was inane wrangling. For this reason, The Case of the Green-Dressed Ghost receives 2 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.