Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced readers copy. All opinions are honest and my own.

Great book, love this author and how they can keep my attention to the end! The plot is well developed, characters are believable and they obviously paid attention to detail to make the story worth your time to read.

A great book by a fantastic author. The writing is excellent and the mystery keeps you turning the pages. Characters are well developed. Highly recommend.

A first read of the work of Lucy Banks and it will not be the last. The Case of the Deadly Doppelganger had me enthralled in a genre I would not normally venture into. In order to keep Dr Ribero's Supernatural Agency afloat, Kester Lanner needs to build on his previous success in overcoming a poltergeist to deal with what is thought to be a 'doppelganger' wreaking havoc in Lyme Regis. A rented flat, unchanged clothes and a series of unfortunate outcomes for the people of Lyme Regis ensue before the Doppelganger is faced head to head.

I did not finish - I have tried reading this book on multiple occasions and just could not get into it.

A fully immersive series that works as standalone reads as well as a compulsive series, One to watch out for!

Fun read. I didn't read the first one of this series but I was able to jump right it. I enjoyed the characters and the case. Very enjoyable

You like cozy mystery, yes?

This is the second book in the Dr Ribero's Agency Of The Supernatural. They are like, how the Americans say, Keystone Cops, yes?

My apologies to the author for that really bad impression of Dr Ribero.

This story finds our gang teaming up with Dr Ribero's arch nemesis, Larry Higgins, proprietor of a rival agency that is loaded with all of the latest ghost-hunting toys and could not be more unlike Dr Ribero's agency, which cannot afford office equipment much less a company van, if they tried. (Whew, I think I got it all in ;P) The government has hired the agencies to solve the case of the deaths in Lyme Regis where old folks are dying under mysterious circumstances. They need to do this without alerting the media and tabloids that there is a supernatural element to the story. Initially, the one thing that most of the deaths have in common is witnesses claiming that the deceased saw themselves before they died. Literally, saw their doubles.

A big part of my enjoyment of this story is the dynamics of the team members. The constant bickering and ribbing is fun to watch. My favorites in this story have to be Pamela and Julio Ribero. Kester, Julio's son, is still trying to come to grips with his unique ability while the ability to control it eludes him. Julio wants Kester to be more invested in the family business.

The mystery is fun, the characters likable, and the setting is good. I'm liking the author's writing style. I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment and would not hesitate to read any of the author's other works.

Can this be read as a standalone? ...yes. Should it? No. It helps to connect with, and understand the relationships between the team members.

I recommend you pick this up and have it ready for the next lazy or rainy afternoon and you're in need of a pick me up.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing an electronic copy of this story via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Case of the Deadly Doppelganger is the second book in the Dr. Ribero series by author Lucy Banks. Published by Amberjack publishing and released 6 February, 2018, the series is a NA paranormal mystery. This entry clocks in at an impressive 328 pages and is available in ebook and paperback formats.

There's a popular sub-genre of paranormal mysteries these days which rely on snappy and sarcastic dialogue and ensemble casts. I can think of a half dozen off the top of my head: The Laundry Files, Bryant & May, Peter Grant, Sandman Slim, Dr. Siri Paiboun, The Garrett Files, and there are so many more. It's a sub-genre of which I'm very fond. I was excited to find this example on NetGalley and requested it at once, despite not having read the first book in the series.

Dr. Ribero's Agency is a group of paranormal investigators who deal with hauntings, paranormal activity and other crises which fall outside the purview of normal government agencies. They're about as low budget and ragtag as it's possible to imagine and largely hapless into the bargain. Under normal circumstances, the 'underdog' vibe is a good comedic plot device, but in this particular case I found it more sad and annoying than funny.

The characters (lead protagonist Kester included, unfortunately) are universally whiny, irritating and crude. There are more jokes about bodily functions in this book than I really wanted to count. There's so much mean sniping and crankiness between the characters (who seem to act like 6 year olds with critically low blood sugar than functional adults) that I just found it exhausting.
My other disgruntlement with the book comes from the 2 dimensional cardboard cutout character stereotypes: the chubby nerd, the b*tchy Barbie, the dark inscrutable Russian, the passionate oily Argentinian, the stern schoolmistress-y spinster with a heart of gold, the flakey new-age hippie, the androgynous cowgirl (?!). The author manages to hit almost all, racial, ethnic and physical.

Given the incredibly enthusiastic reviews this book has gotten (4.1 Goodreads average) my experience of the book seems to be in the minority. Your experience will therefore likely vary from mine.

The book does read quite well as a standalone entry. I had no trouble following the plot at all or keeping the characters straight. It would probably be a good light read, undemanding and somewhat humorous.

Two and a half stars.

I just couldn't get into this one, I very rarely don't finish books but I couldn't get beyond the first few chapters.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

This was an enjoyable read. The book was a little different from what I thought it was going to be and therefore not my usual genre but it is full of quirky and fun characters and a really enjoyable read. Will have to now read the first book in the series and patiently await further books.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Kester Lanner is a spirit door-opener and works for this father's supernatural agency in Exeter, Devon. He has only recently found his father, an Argentinian by the name of Dr Ribero, and started working with him. The Case of the Deadly Doppleganger is the second investigation with the group for Kester.

I wasn't really sure what to expect with this book, as it sounded really fun. It takes place in an area I've visited, and live near, so it was nice to have some familiar ground to cover. Although this is the second book in the series, it was easy to catch up for the most part and I enjoyed the characters and the story very much. The English characters were captured very well but I felt the American was perhaps a bit of a stereotype, although definitely a different character than most!

The supernatural aspects were covered well and the story was well done. England has such a mixed human history that having Celts and Romans in the area known as the Jurassic Coast, containing dinosaur bones from that era, isn't at all a stretch. The mystery wasn't particularly difficult to figure out, which was a bit disappointing, but not enough to turn me off. In fact, I bought the first book before I was halfway through so that I could read how this all started.

A lot of fun and an enjoyable read!

I thought this was really fun. The agency works to solve supernatural mysteries. In this one, elderly people in Lyme Regis are dying unexpectedly after seeing a mirror image of themselves. There are too many to be a mere coincidence, so the government hires Dr. Ribero's agency to hopefully stop the murders and solve the case. It was really clever. The author has clearly done the research into local lore. The plot moves at a great pace and the characters are very likable. I would definitely recommend this to mystery lovers.

This is the second installment of a new series by Lucy Banks. I have to say, I enjoyed it just as much as the first. It was nice to learn more about the agency's merry bunch of misfits. Kester is just so darn lovable too! I'm looking forward to seeing his character progress as the series continues.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book, which I voluntarily chose to review.

After reading the first book in this series, “The Case of the Green-Dressed Ghost”, I was confused as to which genre this series belonged. I am glad to see that book two has slightly upped the game and though it is an easy read and in the upper reaches of young adult, I would no longer say that its audience is strictly YA.

Kester Lanner, and his talent as a door opener, is continuing to finding his way around his father’s agency and with funds almost non-existent, the group must take on a job with a rival agency to investigate why the seniors of Lyme Regis are dying peculiar deaths. Deaths that involve the victims crying out that they could see themselves right before they were “fetched”.

With four deaths in the last six months, Dr. Ribero’s agency must team with Larry Higgins, a sworn enemy, to solve this case of the “dopel meaning double and ganger meaning walker” before any more residents meet up with their spirit twin. It appears that the Ancient History Club should have just left things alone, yet they could not and because of this, their numbers are swiftly dwindling, leaving Dr. Ribero's Agency of the Supernatural to sort out this mess before the Ministry of the Supernatural shuts them down.

This series still wants to dip its toe in the “Harry Potter” realm with the School of Supernatural Further Education which reads more like an online university than Hogwarts, but the theory is the same where you can earn a BA in Spirit Intervention and Business Studies which according to his father will come in handy when Kester takes over the family, which really isn’t his family’s, business.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have not read part one but I was able to read this as a standalone. I can definitely appreciate that all prior information was given. I never felt lost while reading. " The Case of the Deadly Doppelganger" was a super fun, supernatural read that I read in one sitting. The characters were likeable and the plot was fast paced. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

THIS one was way better than the first book - I felt the characters were more likable and more fleshed out, everyone seemed a little more believable and I really am totally in love with Kester. He is such an adorable, clumsy, chubby nerdy man and I adore that so much. He continues to try and believe all that is being thrown at him [even when it is hard] and he come up with a lot of things in this book that are actually quite good.

A couple wrenches in the program and a couple snafus and of course a demented spirit that is killing people deader than door-nails and you have a real humdinger of a book. I really enjoyed every second of this one, bickering and all.

Thank you to NetGalley and AmberJack Publishing for a ARC of this book.

Wonderful supernatural mystery

I loved this book. It has everything I want in a supernatural mystery: a great, well-paced story, good action and especially, well-developed characters. The banter between the characters is excellent and I felt I got to know them a little bit. The book is also so seamlessly written that I didn’t realize it was the second of the series. I am definitely going to go back and read the first book. If you liked the Inspector Hobbes books by Wilkie Martin, then you will like this as well. They are both well-written supernatural series wrapped up in friendly and humorous packages. I strongly recommend the Lucy Banks book.

It has a "cute" feel to it. The writing is quite pithy, it's light and easy to read. While I probably wouldn't read it a second time (it's certainly no great epic) it's a passable read. I liked the language, it's not cerebral at all, at there are some good ups and downs in it to keep you entertained. Character development wasn't exactly robust, but the language helps gloss that over so you really don't notice.

3.5 Stars

I was hooked by the hilarity of Dr. Ribero’s agency team member on Case of the Green-Dressed Ghost and is fortunate enough to be given an early copy of this second book. In the first book we learned Kester first found out about his father and his unique ability - which is similar to his late mother. And his adventure on supernatural beings continued in this second entry to Dr. Ribero’s Agency of the Supernatural.

Following the last development on previous book, where he decided to join his father’s agency - albeit focusing on research - Kester also got to know his father better, including his unfortunate condition and Dr. Ribero’s wish for the future. The father and son relationship between them is awkward, touching, and funny at the same time. The agency’s reputation was put in a test when they were assigned a tricky case and had to team up with the rival agency and the bane of Dr. Ribero’s existence.

Compared to the previous book, here Kester was all out and really involved in the case they handled. Especially when the rising body counts forced the team to cluster together near the location the case took place. At the same time, young Kester also juggling a budding relationship with someone out of the supernatural sphere while keeping his real job from her.

As always, the clash of personality among team members were the source of entertainment (even if sometimes the teasings bordered on cruelty and meanness) and exasperation. All the more with additional unique members from Higgins agency. Case-wise, tricky as it might be to solve, was not really impressive. I guess sort of hoping for some sort of big bang, but perhaps there’s still long to go with this particular series.

While it’s interesting to see Kester showed his investigation skill (through research and sheer determination) I did wish he also worked on mastering his supernatural ability. That saying, his dodging it and anything supernatural-related made him a regular young lad and lend ingenuity to the story’s continuation. Especially given the way the book ended, there are endless possibilities to look forward to. I’m still game to continue following this series, for the enjoyment and entertaining aspects it gives me!


Advanced copy of this book is kindly given by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.