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NEED A DEFINITION FOR YOUR NEXT CRIME NOVEL?  MAYBE ONE OF THESE WILL DO.
While cruising around the internet, I found the following categories.  Who knew there was so much to choose from?  And that's not all--there were still more when I finally decided to quit.  I do have a life, after all.
FOR DISCUSSION: into which genre does your own work fall?  Which one do you enjoy reading?
And just for your own future reference, you can copy and print this list for your notebook.
A.     Crime Story: Suspense in the crime story comes from wondering whether the plan will work. We're rooting for the bad guys because they are smart, organized, and daring. The ride will be a bumpy one. This sub-genre works well in film. Consider renting The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3, Entrapment, or The Thomas Crowne Affaire.
1.    Caper Novel: A caper is a comic crime story. Instead of suave and calculating, the caper chronicles the efforts of the lovable bungler who either thinks big or ridiculously small. Finally we get to laugh.
2.    Mystery Novel:   A work of fiction which should meet all the requirements of any novel, and is additionally expected to include four essential elements:  a) Crime (usually, but not necessarily, murder)  b) Detective(s), whether professional (police or private) or amateur  c) An investigative process and  d) The identification of the culprit(s)
3.    Crime Novel: "Mysteries" and more. Perhaps a better term than "mystery novel" to describe the category today, with its implication of a broad variety of approaches to the issue of crime and its implications, less dependence on the four essential elements. A notable example of the newer type of construction is the story told from the standpoint of the criminal – hit man (or woman), con artist, or whatever. Often in a crime novel, the "good guys" and the "bad guys" share equal time – you know whodunit – but you don't know how the story will be resolved.
4.    Whodunit:  quintessential mysteries, and star a clever investigator who either travels to, or was already present at, the scene of a murder. Often there are obvious suspect(s), but the real killer turns out to be the least likely character, as ultimately revealed during a confrontational (yet rational, and oddly calm) gathering. Agatha Christie's gripping 1939 novel And Then There Were None was filmed by George Pollock as Ten Little Indians. (The novel's original British title is unprintable, due to the notorious n-word.)
5.    Noir: While much PI is Noir, Noir also covers stories from the other side of the fence. Noir is a mood: gritty, bleak, and unforgiving. The usual brutality is about as far from Cozy as you can get. Plug "noir" into your favorite search engine to find a wealth of sites offering original and reprinted fiction.
6.    Urban Fantasy: a genre defined by geography; it is a mystery which has supernatural or fantasy elements (read vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and possessions for example), but it must take place in an urban (i.e. city, generally speaking the larger the better) environment some where on earth (usually). It can be set during any time period however a good portion are set in the present or future time periods.
7.    Steampunk: A genre which takes an alternate view of history; what would the world look like today if steam power had never replaced? This genre often feature anachronistic technologies or innovations which could only have been dreamed of during the early 19th century. The fashions, culture, architecture and sheer style are most often modeled after Victorian Britain. If you have seen Warehouse 13 on Syfy or Dr. Who (the new version) on the BBC they both have many steam punk elements.
8.    Cozy: small-town, middle class, friendly cop, detective, or amateur sleuth with goofy sidekick solves mystery with no blood, guts or sex visible,     happy ending
9.    Amateur Sleuth: tries to solve the murder of someone close. Either the police have tried and failed or misread the murder as an accident/suicide. Both the loss and need for a solution is personal. These are usually single-shot stories and novels since lightning rarely strikes the same person again and again (outside of a television series). [Editor's Note: This is changing, however, and there are a large number of amateur sleuths who are normally engaged in such businesses as selling tea or making quilts, but who manage to stumble across dead bodies on a regular basis.]
10.    Professional Sleuth: an amateur sleuth in a professional setting, preferably a setting which is unique and intriguing. Not only is inside information used, but solving the crime returns order to a cloistered environment. Think Dick Frances and the world of horse racing.
11.    Private Eye: these focus on the work of a private detective, rather than the police, in finding the perpetrator of the crime
12.    Hard-Boiled: opposite of cozy; graphic, gruesome and unsentimental.   They contain details of the crimes committed, which are often violent or sexual in their nature. They often feature psychopaths and serial killers and have detectives with deeply flawed characters.
13.    Soft-Boiled: The realism of the hard-boiled but tempered with optimism, and humor that is light. Lawrence Block's Bernie Rhodenbarr ("Burglar") novels exemplify this type, and provide a clear contrast to the hard-boiled Scudder.
14.    Police Procedural: these focus on the work of the police to identify the perpetrator and often include lots of detail about crime detection, interview and forensic techniques. The main character is usually a detective or policeman
15.    Suspense: This specific sub-genre of the thriller genre also incorporates elements from detective fiction, as the protagonist must solve the mystery of the psychological conflict presented in these types of stories.  Instead of the sleuth pursuing the criminal, in suspense the protagonist is the one being pursued. Here the question is not so much "Who done it?" but "How will the main character stay alive?" These thrillers are often blockbusters.
16.    Romantic Suspense: Add a hefty dose of romance to a suspense and produce a romantic suspense. Not only does justice prevail, but love conquers all. The spectrum runs from Mary Higgins Clark to mystery lines from the paperback romance publishers.
17.    Medical Thriller: a suspense novel that takes place in a hospital. The protagonists are usually doctors or nurses. The plot is based on situations unique to medicine and medical research. Examples: Robin Cooke, Michael Crichton and Tess Gerritsen write in this genre.
18.    Legal Thriller: The major characters are lawyers and their employees, and they become involved in proving their cases.
19.    Thriller:  Plenty of action, accent on plot. Tension. Emphasis on placing the protagonist in dangerous circumstances – usually physically dangerous. James Bond. Lawyers/defendants in the courtroom. Spies everywhere. Derring-do anywhere. Rather than solving a crime, the object may be to prevent one from happening to our hero or heroine. In this type of book, the main character is active, a professional.
20.    True Crime: a type of novel which deals with a real crime, with or without a murder, examining the motives of real people and events. These novels can run the gamut from being highly speculative in nature to sticking to the basic facts of the case, ultimately allowing the reader to draw his/her own conclusions. The crimes which are written about can be pulled from current headlines or the past, such as; JFK's assassination, the Ripper murders, Marilyn Monroe's death or the Gardner heist.
21.    Courtroom – these revolve around the courtroom procedure related to the crime. Inevitably the reader knows the main suspects, as they are in the dock, and the details of the crime are revealed as the court case proceeds. This type of fiction often uses flash-back techniques to reveal the storyline.
22.    Legal dramas – these are a lot like courtroom dramas but they are not conducted wholly in the courtroom. The main focus of the detective work falls on the legal team
23.    Spy – the action centers on espionage. It usually features a spy working for an intelligence agency
24.    Tartan noir – a relatively new genre of crime fiction with a Scottish heritage. They are hard-boiled with main characters that are not very likeable. They are often deeply flawed and world weary, as well as having anti-hero traits. They usually suffer from personal crises during the course of the story and the crises will form a major part of the story. (UK)
25.    The Historical Whodunnit: Also a sub-genre of historical fiction. The setting of the story and the crime has some historical significance
26.    The Inverted Detective Story: Also known as "howcatchem", the commission of the crime and the identity of the perpetrator is revealed to the reader first, then the rest of the story describes the detective's attempt to solve the mystery.
27.    Forensic Thriller: a fairly new genre. The lead character is usually a woman who is a scientist or pathologist. Research is needed. Accuracy is essential. Most of the action takes place in crime scenes and morgues, and in the lead character’s home. Examples: Jeffery Deaver’s ‘Lincoln Rhyme’, Patricia Cornwell’s ‘Kay Scarpetta’, and Kathy Reichs’s ‘Temperance Brennan’
28.    Military Thriller: has a protagonist who is often a member of the military, MI5 or MI6, the CIA or the FBI, or a consultant to a military agency. Readers of this genre love the details and a lot of research is necessary. Often the criminals are crooked politicians or terrorists. The action often spans continents. Example: Tom Clancy’s ‘Jack Ryan’
29.    Spoofs and parodies
30.    Mixed Genre: Move your mystery into the future and you've entered the realm of the mixed-genre mystery. Although mixed-genre isn't confined to SF, science fiction is a healthy market which welcomes the marriage. Isaac Asimov's ROBOT series is one example of a future police detective.
31.  Pastische: a technique where an author imitates another author’s style (and/or characters), in a respectful way. The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr is a pastische in imitation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s style and character, Sherlock Holmes.