Pie in the Sky

The investigation concerning criminal Dudley Hooperman should be Detective Inspector Henry Crabbe's last case. He plans to retire and open his own restaurant, Pie in the Sky -- that is if Assistant Chief Constable Freddy Fisher will let him.

Assistant Chief Constable Freddy Fisher sends Henry Crabbe to look for a missing policeman who holds very sensitive information about a senior police officer. All Crabbe wants to do, however, is to get the restaurant ready for opening night.

Crabbe is alarmed when Fisher sends a surveillance team into the restaurant to catch one of Crabbe's regular customers in the act of bribing a local MP.

The discovery of a young girl's body, buried 18 years ago, re-opens a murder investigation which was originally handled by Fisher and Crabbe. Did they put the wrong man away?

A suspicious death at a local aerodrome suggests a drugs connection -- at least ACC Fisher is convinced that's the case -- and he is not going to listen to Crabbe's protestations and evidence to the contrary.

A "research" project cooked up by ACC Fisher takes Crabbe to the nearby town of Wychwold, to investigate the death of an Asian businessman -- and bake a pie for revered food writer Hilary Smallwood. Back at the restaurant, chef Steve takes the law into his own hands.

Crabbe is trying to perfect his sorbet recipe, but it seems no-one will leave him in peace. Alec at the local laundry has a problem with his girlfriend and Steve the chef has a visitor from his criminal past.

Both Henry Crabbe and his wife Margaret become involved with the wine trade -- and learn never to judge a wine by its label.

For once, ACC Fisher is away and Crabbe can give his full attention to preparing a special dinner for some Japanese visitors. But an unwelcome face from the past takes Crabbe's mind off his cooking.

The proposed building of a motorway link road across nearby Marsdon Heath gives rise to a public campaign against the scheme -- and Fisher expects Crabbe to arrest the 'ringleader'. But Crabbe has split loyalties when he discovers that some of the protesters are uncomfortably close to home.