The Foreign Aide

A psychological thriller set in 1970s Beirut

Publication Date - June 9 2026

Recommendation: READ ALL EIGHT CHAPTERS HERE FIRST. Then if you’re enjoying the book and want to continue, sign up to join my Advance Reader Copy (ARC) team to get a FREE copy of the entire book immediately — in return for an honest review at launch.

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The Opening Chapters

The Lebanese flag

Question

Scene-setting. What does ‘nationality’ really mean? Are you born with it, or can it be claimed? Would you fight for your country?

Rooster

Our 4 main characters meet. Richard is nonplussed by Monique’s secret — and unique — talent.

Abstract image of an explosion

Explosion

Dinner at Lawrence’s is interrupted by news of a serious incident in the Beirut suburbs … and then by an explosion.

2 wedding rings on a stone surface,separated by a crack

Marriage

The backstory of Richard and Claire’s relationship and their life in London. Their marriage is solid … or is it?

Two angry cats fighting

Skirmishes

Trouble at home. Trouble in the classroom. We meet Dave, who shows Richard how to sort out a fight.

Rocks in a fast-flowing mountain stream

River

Lawrence and Richard’s dangerous river trip — in Bulgarian tractor tyres.

Lebanese militiaman with a large crucifix around his neck, drinking from a bottle.

Militia

Dangerous times for Richard and Monique — in more ways than one — as the war approaches.

Picture of the book 'The Foreign Aide', showing the crescent moon and stars in an evening sky above a smoking city landscape. In the foreground is an Arab shisha pipe. The whole scene is framed in an Islamic-style arch. The author's name is Alan Miles, and there's a question beneath his name - 'Who can you trust in love and war?' Underneath the book is a crumpled shirt, bloodied at the left shoulder. And just showing beneath the shirt is a brown manilla envelope. At the top of the picture there's a newsflash: 'Launch-date: June 9, 2026'.

Cancer

Lawrence gives a history lesson, and stuns Richard with a secret. Meanwhile horrifying violence is breaking out in Beirut’s suburbs. Will Richard and Claire’s apartment be safe?

Front cover for 'The Foreign Aide' by Alan Miles. A crescent moon shines in an evening sky. In the foreground, in shadow, an Arab shisha pipe. Behind the outline of a city, smoking. At the bottom, a tagline: 'Who can you trust in love and war?'

In brief ...

As a country slides into civil war, a marriage self-destructs. Richard and Claire Devine, newcomers to Beirut at the beginning of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975, fall under the spell of larger-than-life American journalist, Lawrence Anderson and his wealthy Palestinian Christian girlfriend, Monique. There are consequences for all four of them — and for Lebanon. 

A gritty psychological thriller, The Foreign Aide is a novel from Alan Miles, whose 30-year Mid-East adventure also started in war-torn Lebanon. So how is this book relevant to today’s reader? “1970s Beirut gave me all the ingredients I needed for a gripping tale”, says Alan. “But I hope my story will also remind readers that present-day conflicts in the Middle East have very deep roots. And that sometimes, when we Westerners dive in to intervene, we can find ourselves hopelessly out of our depth.”