A delightful book, unusual for Georgette Heyer's Regencies in that it centers on a mystery and it is told from the point of view of the hero, rather than the heroine.

Now that the Napoleonic Wars are really over, thirty-year-old John Staple is bored with his life as an upper-class man of property. One dark and stormy night he is riding alone across the countryside when he comes upon an isolated toll-gate. Finding that the terrified boy manning it doesn't know why his father has gone missing, Staple's curiosity and sense of adventure lead him to take up residence in the toll-house as temporary gatekeeper. Well, that's his reason for stopping; his reason for staying is Nell Stornaway, a young woman of statuesque proportions who lives nearby. As well as Nell's being annoyed by her obnoxious cousin and his friend, her household seems to be a focus of the same mystery that shrouds the disappearance of the gatekeeper. Staple sets out to solve the mystery and clear the way for his marriage to Nell.

Reminiscent of "The Unknown Ajax"'s Hugo Darracott, Staple is a giant of a man, with a shrewd brain, a kindly nature, and a mischievous temperament. Despite the atmosphere of mystery, and occasional episodes of violence, the book has the usual Heyer charm of engagingly drawn characters and laugh-out-loud-funny dialogue. In this case, some of the most appealing characters are from the lower orders--including redoubtable servants, a sardonic highwayman, and a Bow Street Runner--and Heyer gets to demonstrate her research into thieves' cant. The villains are more sketchily portrayed, because Heyer's plot structure brings them into Staple's orbit only once or twice. (This demonstrates, by the way, how Heyer depends on conversations to reveal character.) This drawback, though, does little to lessen the charm of the book. For fans of Austen and Heyer, this one is a keeper.

I love Georgette Heyer's historical romance novels for their combination of colourful characters, frolicking adventures, exuberant humour, and mercurial mystery. I have many Heyer favourites including Devil's Cub, Frederica, Sylvester, These Old Shades, The Reluctant Widow and now The Toll-Gate. I think The Toll-Gate sets itself apart with more than the usual hint of romance.

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It takes a lot to unnerve Captain John Staple, a man with a reputation for audacious exploits and whimsical nonsense. But when he finds himself mired on the moors— on a dark and stormy night, no less! —John hardly expects to find a young, frightened boy who's been left alone to tend a toll gatehouse….

Never one to pass up an adventure, John decides to take up residence in Derbyshire as a gatekeeper until he can find the lad's father. But as John investigates the suspicious disappearance, he begins to unravel a far more complex mystery. And at its center is a woman— the very one to tame John''s reckless spirit….

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Captain John Staple is making his way to his friend Henry Babbacombe's home in Leicestershire and becomes lost due to imprecise directions. Having wasted many hours, in the night he finally comes upon the toll-gate pike road he was looking for manned by a obviously frightened young boy. Having learnt the boy's father has disappeared John Staple takes upon himself looking after the boy until the morning. In the morning at the first sight of Miss Nell Stornaway waiting to pass the toll-gate to go to church, Captain John Staple is lovestruck and duly rendered speechless for some moments. He decides to stay and take care of the toll-gate until the boy's father reappears and to find out just exactly who Miss Nell is...

This story is very sweet at times...Nell and John pronounce their love for each other not very far into the book, which provides us with many romantic moments whereas Heyer's books usually only have romantic moments in the last chapter. The reading of the story was a bit more challenging because a lot of 'cant' or 'flash' language was used and there were unfamiliar words (e.g. tater, hog-grubber, tipping over the dabs, bowman prig, twigs), which made for a tad frustrating but amusing read trying to decipher the colloquialisms.

There is the invariable sparkling dialogue and all the characters in the novel are well developed with each their own little idiosyncrasies. The plot is paced nicely around mysterious events such as the disappearance of individuals, clandestine assignations, nocturnal adventures, secret relationships, theft of sovereign coins and investigations of multiple murders. I loved the more romantic bent to the story, I loved Captain John Staple (there is a scene when he takes of his shirt off at the water pump and I could so imagine his big, brawny body!) and how devoted he is to Nell. I loved that the mystery was so well thought out. There is nothing not to love about The Toll-Gate and I highly recommend to fans of Heyer, romance and historical fiction.

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Captain John Staple leaves a very dull house party to go visit a friend for hunting. Taking a short cut his horse throws a shoe and then it begins to downpour. By now it is after dark and searching for a farmhouse to take shelter in he comes across a toll gate being manned by a very young, frightened boy. His dad is the gate keeper and he has disappeared. John decides to stay the night at the gate house and keep the boy company. In the morning, when she passes through the gate to go to church, John meets the Squire’s granddaughter, a strong and strong minded young woman who has been acting as squire since her grandfather had a stroke and he decides maybe he’ll stay a while and find out what is going on. This is one of Heyer’s most delightful historical stories with both romance and mystery. We have villains and swells and a highwayman (who isn’t a villain) and even a Bow Street Runner on special assignment. Pure escapism with laughs. ( )

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