The best crime novels for details of legal, intermittently legal, and definitely illegal professions

What is it like to be a jockey? Dick Francis offers a master class in using workplace details to develop characters. Readers bond with his jockeys at a gallop (or sometimes when they’re under galloping hooves). Each book is a feast of information about a different related job. We see the power of stewards and bookies and the racing press, the schemes of fixers, the pride and agonies of owners and trainers, the grievances of lads mucking out stables. We learn about transporting horses, filming them, painting them, investing in them. In Whip Hand, Francis’s lean prose and fast pace establish his jockey-turned-detective's personality and backstory in a single page of prologue. The book holds a special place in my heart because it inspired me to try writing legal mysteries.

What is it like to be a thief? I picked up Ghostman after writer Barbara Ehrenreich (Nickel and Dimed) joked on Facebook that the book taught her how to rob a casino. This exciting story does that and much more. The protagonist is forced to untangle a caper gone FUBAR and then disappear without a trace. Through multiple twists and backstabbings, readers learn the fine points of pulling off grand thefts and long cons, the tricks and trials of becoming a permanent “ghost.” The information is offered seamlessly, with no jarring breaks from action or characterization. In my opinion, there’s never been a better heist novel, though its sequel, Vanishing Games, comes close. (Sadly, Hobbs died when he was only 26, leaving behind no additional manuscripts.) 

What is it like to be a hitman? We learn all about it from Billy Summers, one of the most refreshing and engaging felons in crime fiction. Stephen King outshines even Elmore Leonard with a character whose kindness and natural sweetness balance an almost scary level of focus and professionalism. Through Billy, we see every nuance of pulling off a hit. Getting a clean shot at the man he’s hired to kill means waiting, possibly for weeks, in a building across from the courthouse. He tells neighbors there he’s renting the office there to minimize distractions while writing a book. To maintain his cover, he begins fictionalizing memories of his early life and military service. It’s the best depiction I’ve seen of how it feels to write a first novel. 

What is it like to be a spy? John le Carré spent decades working for the British Secret Intelligence Service. He offers readers true insider details about spycraft—the operational methods, the clashes, and turf wars, the choreography of secret missions and extra-legal actions, the consequences if they fail, the high toll on agents in the field. But more than anything, the story is built on fascinating characters, drawn with elegant prose and sterling dialogue. Among them is one of my favorites in any genre, the quietly brilliant George Smiley. If you’ve read the book and want more (or haven’t read it, though I think you’d love it), try the mini-series with Alec Guinness. It captures some of the novel’s magic. I can’t resist rewatching it every few years. 

What is it like to be a lawyer in the information age? Janice Hallett’s characters show us, in this update of the epistolary novel. Two lawyers are handed a sheaf of emails, text messages, police reports, press releases, and medical records by their firm’s top partner. He tells them that he wants fresh eyes on documents pertaining to a case he tried and may appeal. He won’t prejudice their reading of the material by explaining what the crime was or who committed it, much less what the court decided or why he might challenge the ruling. Along with the reader, the lawyers sift through documents that offer an intriguing look at the players, eventually revealing who did what. It’s an excellent puzzle with a modern twist on a time-honored structure.