22 yo Kester joins a company that is best described as Ghostbusters with an accent of British dialect and demeanor. Being an academic he prefers things that are "predictable". He is not at all comfortable when the group takes on the case of a haunted painting where the woman in the green dress that charms every man that sees it.

I liked this book very much and look forward to more in the series ( )

Kester's mother has died with the instruction that he is to go see Dr. Ribero.

It turns out Ribero is Kester's father and a once famous "ghost-buster" . Kester's mother was Ribero's lover and had the skill of opening spirit doors that would pull the ghost back into the spirit world. Kester also has the same ability as his mother.

Dr. Ribero's Agency of the Supernatural is declining, they have more competition than they can successfully deal with until they are hired to deal with the malevolent spirit of the Green Dressed Ghost.

The spirit, loves human men but destroys their wives. A part of the spirit's story is told in the journal of Emmaline, whose husband falls in love with the spirit via her portrait, which Emmaline eventually destroys.

The new owner of the house, found the destroyed portrait in the attic & had it restored, allowing the spirit's return and it is now attempting to destroy the new owner's wife. She calls in Dr Ribero & his crew requesting that they get rid of the spirit.

The story itself is compelling and it held my interest (I wanted to know about the Green Dressed Ghost), but it started off excruciatingly slow and it annoyed the hell out of me. Seriously, it took the author Six (6) pages to get Kester into the agency once he found the street it was on.

More annoying was Kester's defeatist continual self-talk and even more annoying than that were two Kester's co-workers, they were nasty, mean, ugly people, and they constantly spewed negativity on every page they were on. In short, I disliked Kester, but I absolutely hated his two co-workers.

The reviews on the back of the book were way off:
* "Recommended for readers interested in modern-day ghost stories or edgier cozy mysteries" --Library Journal There was nothing remotely "cozy" about this book
* "...fun and compelling" -- Booklist I failed to see anything "fun" in this book, I don't believe mean nasty characters are "fun", unless written by Carl Hiaasen or Elmore Leonard

So, no matter how good the story, I had to knock off stars for: the hateful characters, the defeatist negative self-talk, & the first two dreadfully slow chapters. ( )

In all honesty I asked for this book on Netgalley because I thought that it would be something like a modern Sherlock Holmes mystery, the title lends itself to that sort of thought. However the actual book is so much more complex than that. I'm excited to see where this series goes, the characters are developed and well rounded. There is diversity within them and the story line, though confusing in a few places at first, reading this took only hours on a Saturday. I will give this first book credit in that it draws the reader in yet somehow I don't feel like the universe is fully developed, which can give the author room to adapt and change it as the series progresses. I'm looking forward to the next one! ( )

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. ( )