A cracking read - thanks Martyn, I promise to buy the next one

Reading "Acts of Revision" is a little like riding in a car with someone who hasn't quite mastered a stick shift--it moves along rather haphazardly, jumping from past to present. The story is about a 35-year-old Londoner named Gregory Lynn who plots revenge against seven of his childhood teachers. Almost everyone can relate to this aspect of the book, especially if you had a teacher or two (or more) who gave you a lot of trouble in school. However, Gregory doesn't really have any reason to seek revenge. Sure, a few of his teachers had humiliated him, but these events weren't as horrible as you'd expect (he was caught masturbating in class, had a piece of chalk thrown at him, made fun of because of his last name, etc.). He certainly went overboard when he nearly raped one of his teachers, as well as hounding the others and their families with threatening letters and visits.

In addition to Gregory's uncalled-for abuse, one of the things that bugged me about this book was that Bedford almost never used quotation marks when he should, making it difficult to tell if a conversation was occurring or not, especially since the book was told in the first person. It also read like a textbook at times, going into great detail about geometry, poets--lots of stuff that isn't really relevant to the story, but something that obviously remained in Gregory's head for a very long time.

A couple of quotes from this book aptly describe "Acts of Revision," like a report from one of his teachers: "His work will become less disjointed and more interesting when he learns to organise his thoughts more carefully," as well as another one, in a letter he received from a teacher: "somewhat disorganised and with a tendency to stray from the point, but remarkably alive and original." I did like how each chapter was devoted to a certain subject, like Chapter 1 is history (Mr. Patrick), Chapter 2 is geography (Mrs. Davies-White), and so forth. So, in that regard, it was somewhat tidy. However, within each chapter, he flashes back quite often to his family and their separate deaths, a second storyline that I didn't quite understand the purpose of, other than being page-filler. Possibly to show his fragile side? Who knows.

This is more of a low-key psychological novel than a terrifying, bloody thriller (though there are a few violent scenes), which is what I had been expecting. So, yeah, I was a little disappointed; thus my "3" stars. Yet it does move along rather quickly for being 242 pages, and readers who are into more character-oriented English fiction should like this one.

...namely, from the inside the mind of a very disturbed individual. Gregory Lynn, the 34-year-old narrator of Martyn Bedford's chilling first novel, is so angry over what he perceives as wrongs commited against him years before, when he was a teenager, by his teachers, that his view of his world has become completely skewed and twisted. Combined with his home situation -- his father was an alcoholic and his mother totally hapless as a single parent -- and the death of his beloved sister Janice, who died at the age of seven of meningitis, these so-called 'crimes' against him require severe 'revision' to be enacted on the perpetrators.

When his mother dies, leaving him 'an orphan' at the age of 34, Gregory finds in the family attic several letters from his teachers, written years before, criticizing his work and attitude in school -- suggestions for 'revision' in his outlook and methods. In an already deteriorated state of mind, reading these over and over until he knows them by heart, he sets out methodically about his self-assigned task. He constructs a map poster in his attic, systematically locates each of his surviving teachers, and designs his actions against each to suit their particular offences and fields of study.

This is not a book about someone who -- for whatever reason -- decides to kill a number of people. Killing is not Gregory's purpose here. He wants these people to know -- to understand on the deepest possible level -- what they have done to him, what they have caused (in his mind, at least) to happen in his life.

Gregory is a talented artist -- his ability manifests itself in cartoons that he draws, incorporating his wild imaginings about what he will do to the people on his list. 'When I draw something, I can make it happen', he says -- and this is frighteningly close to the truth in several cases.

Bedford's writing is taut and skillfully executed -- he reveals details about Gregory's personality, thoughts and life slowly to the reader, adding a very real element of suspense to a story that is filled with tension of different kinds. This is truly one of those novels that is 'hard to put down' -- and one that is a very rewarding, entertaining and enlightening read. This novel compares well to Patrick McGrath's masterful SPIDER, as well as to Iain M. Banks' disturbing THE WASP FACTORY.

On the strength of this novel, I've since picked up his second effort, THE HOUDINI GIRL -- I'm looking forward to experiencing it as well.

Easily one of the best books I have read in the last few years. I am still amazed that so few have heard of this beautifully written novel. So much so that I have forced it upon those you would not beleive its genius. I understood after reading the first 20 pages that this would be a book to pass along

Boy meets girl. Girl moves in with boy the next day. Boy and girl live together until one year later, girl leaves boy. The twist here is that the boy (Red) is a magician and the girl (Rosa) turns up dead before he even knows she's left him. What happened here? And who was Rosa really?

The first part of the book is engaging and we see snippits of Red and Rosa's life together in flashblacks, as well as Red's gradual discoveries that Rosa was not what she seemed. Red makes a sympathetic character, UNTIL we come to the second part of the book, where Red steps out of character and starts acting like a master detective (only for the sake of bringing the plot forward it seems). Red's actions are so unbelievable that the book turns nearly into a farce. Still, I read eagerly on, waiting for the payoff: what happened to Rosa?

Some reviewers have noted that this book isn't easily forgettable, and I'd have to agree. Although I won't be keeping this one on my bookshelf, I did have an enjoyable time reading it.

At the onset of this novel, Red meets Rosa, and promptly falls for her. The seduction begins with a simple magic trick -- and the deception inherent in magic becomes indicative of the year they spend together.

With the death of Rosa, Red comes to find much of his girlfriend's life was an illusion. He commmences a journey to unfurl the mystery of Rosa, which takes him to Amsterdam's seedy Red Light district, and only creates more difficult to answer questions. It is difficult for him to locate information on Rosa, and what he discovers only makes matters more perplexing.

Bedford is a gifted writer, and he masterfully tells this tale of smoke and mirrors. Most chapters begin with an diary entry written by Rosa, and they are exceptionally well written and provide incredible first person insight into Rosa's character and personal circumstances. Unlike other writers who use the same tone for multiple characters, Bedford skillfully creates very different voices for each of the characters in this novel.

This story is a delicious combination of detective novel, love story, magic and brilliant writing. Satisfying and recommended.

Martyn Bedford's "The Houdini Girl" was on all the major book reviewers' recommended list last season. I can see why. On the surface, HG reads like a none too extraordinary murder mystery. The heroine gets bumped off real early. She leaves behind a grieving and befuddled lover who sleuths away to discover that she had led another life in secret whilst cohabitating with him. As he peels off the layers to unmask her real identity, we are thrown into a nightmarish world of sex abuse, drugs, prostitution, a make believe family history and a sordid past that made Rosa Kelly the damaged person she had become. Her love affair with magician Brendan Fletcher never had a chance. It was doomed from the start because she'd lost her innocence and was in no fit state to accept let alone give love. All in all, pretty unexceptional stuff, you might think, but what elevates HG above the more formularic efforts of others writing in the same genre is Bedford's craft in exquisitely blending the thriller with the human interest elements to produce a novel that is at once gripping, intelligent, touching and believable. His contrasting treatment of the illusionist's magic and Rosa's deliberate deception of Brandon is both poignant and painful. The premise for HG wasn't especially promising but the result is spectacular. The book reviewers were right. HG is a wonderfully entertaining novel you wouldn't want to miss.