The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

I am trying to figure out how best to describe the genre of various authors who write what I think of as either historical or archaeological thrillers.

Can thriller fans here help?

Authors I think of are Steve Berry, David Gibbons, Dan Brown, Raymond Khoury, etc.
The books they write are mostly set in modern times but are centred around some conspiracy/controversy that relates to an ancient or historical treasure/mystery/find.

What do you call this genre?
Historical Thriller
Archaeological Thriller
... something else?

And, what if there are also parts of the historical events also told through the eyes of the people that lived them (the novels jump forward and backwards between two chronologies)... does this change your genre definition?

I tend to lean towards 'historical thriller' but wonder if that makes readers think they are books set purely before 1960, as is defined somewhere.

Really looking forward to your help.

Good question, Dave. I also agree that "historical thriller" indicates to most people that the story is set in times past. The genre that you are searching for is almost an "alternative history thriller"......in other words, the story usually offers a conclusion which goes against what has been generally believed about an event/treasure/etc. In non-fiction, the genre "alternative history" is often used; such as "what if Germany had invaded England during WWII" or "what if Lincoln had not been assassinated". It follows that an author like Dan Brown is crafting a fictional story that offers an alternative to the usual Christian beliefs. (That is probably why his first book caused such controversy!).
That probably is not the answer but that's my two cents worth.