I’m trying to read more original French and Spanish, but I’m not at the level to read Balzac or Cervantes.
Who are the Dan Browns and Steven Kings of Spain and France?
Arsène Lupin is a series of French books about a cool thief – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsène_Lupin
Airport thriller is a new concept to me so I’m not sure if these qualify:
Zafón’s La sombra del viento. A best-seller, quite dark and riveting with a Spanish Civil War background.
Teixidor’s El libro de las moscas. I don’t know if it was originally written in Catalan or in Spanish though. More mystery than thriller as far as I remember.
García-Márquez’s Crónica de una muerte anunciada. Absolute classics, both book and author.
Atxaga’s Obabakoak. Also more mystery than thriller. Also originally written in Basque, but the Spanish translation was done by the author himself.
Airport thriller is a new concept to me so I’m not sure if these qualify:
‘airport novels’ is a phrase for popular, lowbrow stories with a mass appeal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airport_novel