False Little Idol

by Joan De La Haye

Most people spend Ganesh Chaturthi praying, feasting, and dancing in the streets—
I’m spending mine infiltrating a sex trafficking ring and killing a Bollywood producer.

The Dev Mehra—Mumbai’s untouchable king of flesh and fear. I was hoping for a simple, clean job for once. Instead, the organisation behind the hit has other plans—a message written in blood for half the world’s power players.

Now I’m wading through carnage, lost in the crush of festival crowds, and wondering if I just passed some twisted audition for work I’m not sure I want.

If you like ruthless women, targets who never see it coming, and thrillers that leave you breathless and bloodstained, with the scent of incense still in the air, False Little Idol will make you worship at the altar of Marin’s next kill.

55 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 13, 2025

About the author

I write action-packed thrillers featuring dangerous women, cold-blooded assassins, and survivors who turn the tables—violently. If you like fiction that pushes boundaries and heroines who don’t play nice, you’re in the right place.

Reviews

[Tasha's Book Journey]

Marin was supposed to be heading to Shanghai… and honestly, I should’ve known better by now because Jane said absolutely not 😏


Instead, we land up in Mumbai and Marin is hot, exhausted, and already in a mood… which just made this start even better because same 😂


One thing I will always love is Marin being South African 🇿🇦 it just hits different every time, and then Jane goes and throws in another South African like??? Okay ma’am, what are we doing 👀


Enter Rebecca Walker… and immediately I’m suspicious but also intrigued 😏


For once Jane actually tells Marin who the client is (growth? maybe?) but of course keeps the target a mystery because chaos is literally her personality at this point 🔪


When Marin meets the women behind this mission though… you can feel it instantly. This one is different. It’s heavier, more personal, and you don’t need all the details to understand exactly what’s at stake.


And Marin? She’s in. No hesitation.


I loved the dynamic with Rebecca because Marin doesn’t just trust people, she tests them… and that whole little “I’m going to be late and see how you handle it” moment? Perfect 😂


But Rebecca holds her own. She’s calm, observant, and you can tell she’s not just there for show.


Then we get the setup and I was hooked, penthouse party, high-profile target, something important hidden in a safe… say less 😏🔥


And the target? Yeah… absolute piece of work. The kind that makes you sit there like “Marin, take your time with this one” 🔪


What really stood out for me here though was the women. There’s this quiet strength, this reclaiming of power, and it’s done in such a way that just hits without needing to be over the top about it. Honestly? Bada$$.


And then the twist… because obviously there’s a twist 😅 I did not see that coming, and clearly neither did Marin, but she adapts like she always does and gets the job done.


That ending though 👀 another little twist thrown in and now we might be heading back to Shanghai… hopefully 😂


There’s so much I could say about this one but anything more would spoil it, and this is definitely one you want to go into blind.


Just know… he got exactly what he deserved, the women were incredible, and the justice in this one? So satisfying 😏🔪


Another addictive read and at this point I’m not even pretending I’m not fully obsessed with this series 📚🔥

[Micaela]

4.5 🌟

I think I may have found my new favourite Marin story 😮‍💨

Every time I pick up a Holiday Quick Kills novella, I know I'm in for a wild ride, but this one somehow managed to raise the stakes even higher.

The setting was intense, the mission was brutal, and the action kept me hooked from start to finish. Marin continues to be one of my favourite assassins to follow, and watching her navigate yet another impossible assignment was as entertaining as ever.

What really pushed this one into 4.5-star territory for me was the sheer level of justice being served 😏

Let's just say the men in this story got exactly what they deserved, and Joan De La Haye did not hold back when it came to delivering their punishment. The gore, the chaos, and the consequences all felt dialled up compared to some of the previous stories, and I was absolutely here for it.

Fast-paced, bloody, satisfying, and impossible to put down, this was another fantastic addition to the series and one I'll definitely remember.

[Matt]

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi! Marin has been sent off to India on another assignment after the chaos of Japan (but it was a fun kind of chaos). Jane (Marin’s employer has actually given her info on the job for a change and all Marin needs to do is meet with a fellow South African named Rebecca. Simple enough, but as usual, the job is anything but simple. Her target is a high profile people trafficker, so she will have her work cut out to complete this job! The odds are against her and that’s just how she likes it!

Her another fun, quick read as wet get to follow along with Marin and Jim in the fun! If you haven’t read the witch kills series, there’s still plenty of time to join in and become an assassin almost as good as Marin. Be ready for anything!

[Frieda]

Intense

Of, a connection to another book? Interesting. I support this one, but I'm glad it's not me. Very intense story.

[Jen]

A deadly target is only as interesting as the secrets surrounding them, and Dev Mehra is Marin’s most despicable mark so far. I enjoyed seeing this mission unfold as Marin and her new allies took on someone who had done truly horrible things, and I found his downfall to be very satisfying.
This installment doesn’t add much to Marin’s personal journey, but it delivers another dark and entertaining assignment with the same fast pace and dangerous atmosphere I’ve come to expect from the series. Joan De La Haye keeps the story focused on the mission, the stakes, and the consequences of crossing the wrong people.
If you like assassin thrillers, revenge stories, and dark crime mysteries, then you will enjoy this book.

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