Crime and thrillers are different genres, in my opinion. And crime isn’t just crime; it can swerve into police procedurals, courtroom dramas, and so on. Anyway, here are a couple: Military crime/justice: Anything by Lee Child Politics / middle east / espionage: Anything by Daniel Silva Straight crime: Alafair Burke Horse-based crime: Most of Dick Francis’ earlier stuff. Later stuff not so much. That includes his son, who continued writing. Faye Kellerman writes better than her husband Jonathan. She writes better stories. Their son – don’t waste the time.