Oh this was such a LOVELY book! I just couldn't stop myself. It had my full attention. The characters were lovely, the setting was lovely, and there was just enough intrigue to keep me going. I love reading like Kester too, so I instantly felt for him. Just, this is lovely writing. This is how a good story should be written. Something that takes you from one place to another and of course leaves you smiling. Even though this is paranormal, I am smiling as I type this. I'm jumping straight into the next book and crossing my fingers it doesn't distract me from my work.

Not sure why I wait so long to read this.. Totally reminded me of Ghostbuster's or ghost hunters and I actually laughed out load a few times and I will be very interested in reading the rest of the series and see where the stories go.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did say before that I was going to be reviewing all books in this series one after the other, I lied, I haven't finished the other 2 I have yet as I'm a ridiculous person and have to go to work.

When I started reading this I thought the writing and Kester sounded very 19th century, I expected to see horses and carts on cobblestone streets, men in top hat and tails walking with canes escorting ladies in gowns with long gloves towards destinations unknown, we follow as Kester enters a building and walks upstairs on the search for his father and as he walks through a door he enters the 21st century with computers and mobile phones. If that was how Lucy Banks wrote this then it really bloody worked and if she didn't, it still really bloody worked!!

The characters are drawn out really well as the story progresses and nothing about them feels forced or out of place, there's a good flow to the story which kept me engaged and wanting to continue on to see how it would all work out in the end.

I am hoping to get back to this series very soon as I want to see how Kester grows as a character and be back with this wonderfully quirky cast.

Bloody loved it.

*Huge thanks to Lucy Banks, Amberjack Publishing and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

I loved this book. From the start I got right in with Kester and was feeling all his confusion in the situation. I loved all the characters, how they all welcomed him into their lives and took care of him. This is by far one of the best books I have read in a long time.

It sounded like something I would enjoy reading, sadly, it wasn't. Not that the writing was bad or characters boring... I just could not connect to the story! But I am sure that it will find it's readers who will enjoy it immensely.

This was a really enjoyable book. The characters were on the whole quite lovable, and I am hooked to the extent that I want to read more about Dr Ribero's agency and especially Kester.

It was fun and a bit creepy (what I loved) to read this book. Although I liked I could feel it has something missing, but I'm not sure of what. I liked the main plot and all the ghost stuff. The reading was really enjoyable and entertaining. All the characters were unique on their own way and the author did a great job with then. I look foward to read any other book from this author.

I'm not really into ghost stories but this book was recommended to me and it had some great reviews so I thought I would request it from Netgalley.

I should have trusted my instincts because I couldn't connect with any of the characters or the story.
Someone likened the story to ghost busters - I hated ghost busters! Obviously I have no sense of humour.

2 stars for the suspense and the mystery.
My thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for my copy to read and review. It's not you, it's me!

Kester Lanner is recovering from the death of his mother when he sees a note from her asking him to visit Dr. Ribero. When he does, he finds out that the doctor is not only his father, but he runs an agency that investigates supernatural occurrences. Kester is not sure how he feels about these new developments, but he goes with Dr. Ribero and his crew of investigators as they capture a ghost.

But the second ghost proves to be more elusive, and it hits Kester hard, and frightens him. Especially when the ghost tries to attach herself to him. Kester will have to come to terms with not only his new discovery about his parentage, but about his newfound abilities, ones that he's not sure he wants.

This is a supernatural tale, but it is also a coming of age tale. Kester is in his twenties when his mother passes away, and he's still struggling with her death when he meets his father. When he discovers his mother's past it hits him and he has to deal with his feelings about discovering his father's identity, a plot line that has been explored in many different stories before.

But the supernatural element of this story adds an interesting twist, and it made this tale a fast, and intriguing read. I have been searching for a true ghost series for some time, one that didn't go in for blood and gore, and I've found it.

This is the author's first outing, and I found the plot to be tight, and the characters to be well-drawn. I am definitely eager for the next story in this series.

I'm not usually a ghost-and-vampire kind of reader, but this book was a pleasant surprise. Looking forward to the next one!

I enjoyed this book more then I thought I would. The paranormal aspect was well done and interesting. I didn't love the main character, but he becomes more likeable. Overall it was a pleasant if not incredibly meaningful read.

This is a fun, cosy little supernatural mystery. Kind of a British Ghostbusters/grownup Scooby Doo thing. It is very tame though and I would have liked more supernatural elements and less silly banter, if I'm being totally honest, but it is a very entertaining read all the same.

Book received from NetGalley.

I wasn't sure about this book when I first started reading it. I was a bit confused on where it was going. Once we finally meet Dr. Ribero the book really takes off. Finding out the agency removed ghosts from troublesome areas made the book for me. It was a bit slow in areas, and I really felt for the main character. He was so confused and out of his element when the book started, but he really came into his own at the end. He was a very changed person. It's a cute little cozy mystery, a very quick read and I believe that most people who enjoy paranormal cozy's will like it.

It is authors debut novel and I can applaud for a solid story. It was a quick and enjoyable read with some places, that could have been developed better.
The only two things that kept me away from giving a higher rating was a rushed and a little bit too dramatized ending and the main character Kester. If it wasn't mentioned that he is 22 year old, I would think he was a whiny teenager.
Non the less, it would be interesting to read more from this series.

I enjoyed reading this ghost story. The characters seemed realistic, they were fun and they had distinguishing characteristics. By the end of the book I was thinking that I would like to find out what their next adventure will be.

I won't be able to review this one because I missed the archive date on it and thought I had downloaded it. Sorry.

In all honesty I asked for this book 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!

An enjoyable ghostbusting romp that cleverly utilises a well know paranormal trope in a new setting. The protagonist, a somewhat shy and underwhelming young man named Kester walks into a wholly unexpected world when he tries to follow his late mother's wishes. Finding himself in Dr Ribero's Agency of the Supernatural, staffed by a bunch of psychics, or as he initially thinks, crackpots, he is forced to face the fact that the world is a bigger and scarier place than he had ever imagined, and that his mother may have been keeping a secret or two. Drawn into a case involving a painting haunted by a malevolent woman hating spirit, he begins to discover a new family, and a new strength of purpose.
This is the first in a planned series of books set at the agency, and works well to set the scene and introduce the characters and their various back stories while still telling and engaging ghost story that keeps the reader interested. The pacing of the book is good, and the characters, even the minor ones well developed.

A fun mash-up of urban fantasy and mystery with a dash of Ghostbusters! Looking forward to the next book in the series.

I cannot figure out which genre that this book belongs in. I am sure that it should be paranormal young adult, but there are a couple of parts, that come across more grown-up. Nothing that a teen should not be reading, but a bit out of place from the usual.

On his mother’s dying bed, 22-year-old pale pudgy academic Kester Lanner is directed to find his father. A father that Kester never knew about - actually, never even questioned since it had always been his mother and himself. Turns out that mom was keeping quite a few secrets and when he tracks down Dr. Rubio and his Agency of the Supernatural in Exeter, Kester’s world is literally shaken, or whatever it is called when a ghost will not let him go.

Spirit hunting is not a job that a nervous scholar would seek out, but as it turns out, his mother had her own talents and apparently, that gift did not fall far from the tree. With the help of his father and his merry band of psychics, Kester is in for quite the battle with a mysterious lady in green that is trying to sink her claws into him and any woman that is nearby.

I am still not fully sold on this series, I see interesting potential, but a clearer line needs to be drawn when it comes to the genre. I do hope that Lucy Banks continues to include folklore and legend, not to mention humor, in the next books in this series, since it was interesting to see a new take on one of my favorite ghost stories of the past.