The Toll-Gate

By Georgette Heyer

Book Overview

The Queen of Regency Romance, bestselling author Georgette Heyer, enchants readers with what the New Yorker called "a witty cheerful extravaganza."

His exploits were legendary...

Captain John Staple, back from the battlefront, is already bored with his quiet civilian life in the country. When he stumbles upon a mystery involving a disappearing toll-gate keeper, nothing could keep the adventure-loving captain from investigating.

But winning her will be his greatest yet...

The plot thickens when John encounters the enigmatic Lady Nell Stornaway and soon learns that rescuing her from her unsavory relatives makes even the most ferocious cavalry charge look like a particularly tame hand of loo. Between hiding his true identity from Nell and the arrival in the neighborhood of some distinctly shady characters, Captain Staple finds himself embarked on the adventure--and romance--of a lifetime.

Praise for The Toll-Gate:

"Spritely and good fun."--New York Herald Tribune

"Once again Georgette Heyer has directed her comic genius along the fictional highway of early nineteenth-century England, but this time...cleaves with refreshing persistence to the commoner levels of life."--Chicago Sunday Tribune

"Told in elegant prose with exceptionally humorous dialogue by the Queen of Regency romance."--Good Book Guide

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B00B9ZGBXK
• ISBN13: 9781402238819
• Release Date: October 2011
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.2" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Lost Mystery

John Staple finds an unmanned toll gate and decides to spend the night before continuing his journey. He meet Miss Nell Stornaway in the course of his assumed duties and they discover a body. A hidden murder mystery lurks in THE TOLL GATE, a Regency romance by Georgette Heyer. It has gotten lost from its true colors and deserves to be placed with her excellent mysteries. Nash Black, author of HAINTS and SINS OF THE FATHERS.

Best read

I've read this many times and just purchased a new edition because mine was falling apart. Great job.

Not one of her best, but fun-- a unique setting

I'd place this in the second tier of Georgette Heyer books. The setting is interesting, revolving around a toll-gate. The characters are not as well-developed as characters in some of Heyer's best books. The plot development takes up most of the book, with less attention to the growth of relationships. This is also one of Heyer's "love at first sight" books, which always seem a little bit embarassing and silly to me (I hate to use a harsh work, but "contrived" comes to mind). If you prefer her books about relationships which grow over time (for example, "Frederica" or "Friday's Child"), you'll agree that this is not one of her best. But if you are on a roll, reading through all the Heyer books, you won't want to miss it.

Funny and Absurd

Unlike a previous reviewer, I have read this one many times and find the dialogue so funny I laugh out loud. Not the typical heroine and hero but very real characters. I just love this book.

Gentle Giant and true love at a toll-gate!

I am an unabashed "Heyer" fan and own almost everything she has ever written but I believe that this is one of her best as far as humor and wit are concerned. These "characters" all grab your heart, make you both laugh and cry ... sometimes all at once! One of my favorites that I have read and re-read many times over. Enjoy!