Home of the Happy explores the murder of the author's grandfather, seamlessly blending genealogy, history, and true crime, into a fascinating story.

A thoughtful mix of true crime and personal memoir, Home of the Happy explores the tragic murder of the author’s great-grandfather and its decades-long impact on her family and community. The historical and cultural details of Cajun Louisiana are compelling, and the questions about possible wrongful conviction are powerful. Still, I struggled to stay engaged — maybe the audio format didn’t work as well for me. It might resonate better on the page for those drawn to layered family histories and atmospheric true crime.

This is how true crime ought to be written. With so much care and humanity. While I still have questions, Jordan’s quest for answers kept me hooked. I absolutely recommend this one for fans of true crime and memoirs.

Home of the Happy was a super interesting read. I loved the history and it was well-researched. I'd read more from this author.

Title: Home of the Happy: A Murder on the Cajun Prairie
Author: Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
Narrated by: Christine Lakin
Publisher: HarperAudio
Length: Approximately 13 hours and 10 minutes
Source: Audiobook review Copy from NetGalley and physical book review copy from #MorrowPartner and Mariner Books. Thank-you!

Do you have any family stories that you think would make good books? I think my great grandparents had interesting lives and they would make good stories.

In 1983, banker Aubrey LaHaye was found dead, floating in a bayou. He had been kidnapped ten days before. A man was arrested, tried, and convicted of his murder – but was he guilty? Aubrey’s great granddaughter investigates his murder as a cold case. Will she find clues that were overlooked in the original investigation? What will she learn about her own family?

Thoughts about this book:
• Home of the Happy is a perfect book for lovers of true crime and true crime podcasts.

• This book was great on audiobook with an interesting narrator.

• Besides being a true crime book, it was also a memoir of the author’s family and community. It was a personal story.

• I learned a lot about the Cajun culture. The book gave the history of the Acadian Cajuns and included discussion of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie.

• The book went through the impact of the murder on the entire LaHaye family through the years and how it changed them.

• It also detailed the trial of John Brady Balfa. Some people still think he is innocent. It really made me ponder the justice system. It’s up to the victim’s family to keep going to the parole hearings to keep someone in jail. But what if they are innocent? The author grapples with this and whether her family has kept an innocent man in jail. Luckily, she has resolution by the end to feel like they did keep the right man in jail.

• The physical copy of the book has a great insert of pictures related to the family and the crime.

Overall, Home of the Happy: A Murder on the Cajun Prairie by Jordan LaHaye Fontenot was an interesting true crime book that was unique with the intersection of a memoir of a family, people, and place in time.

I actually grew up less than 30 miles away from where this kidnapping/murder took place. Aubrey Lahaye’s son was the Dr that delivered my husband exactly 1 month after this took place. CHILLS!

I will admit, unless it’s a TV documentary, I’m not big on true crime. But with Jordan’s writing, I was sold from the very beginning! The details and the way the story is beautifully laid out is chefs kiss.

It made me wish I could sit down with my grandpaw and granny (who probably knew the Lahayes if I had to guess) just to hear their stories.

This was a fascinating blend of true crime and memoir as the author investigated the murder of her great-grandfather. The research was thorough and you could see how tough it was for Jordan to stay unbiased as this murder has had ripple effects on all of her family - most of them tragic.
I enjoyed listening to this one, but you really had to pay attention as there were so many characters introduced (i wish I had family trees of the LaHaye’s and Balfa’s) and the timeline was not linear. There was a LOT of side stories, and while all of them were important and added to the story, it made it harder to follow on audio (I do see that a supplemental PDF is included with the final audiobook, which I’m hoping will help with some of this), but otherwise I would recommend reading a physical copy of this one.
I especially appreciated the depth to which the corruption of the county was laid out, as well as the Louisiana prison system, especially the history of Angola.
While some questions about the case were answered, it felt like even more were brought up. I intend to follow this case to see if anything more comes of it with the books publication.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperAudio for my advanced listening copy!

This was an interesting memoir/true crime story. Being from Louisiana I’m always fascinated with stories based here. The ending was a little rushed though.
Also, as a Louisianian it hurt my ears to hear so many word mispronounced. Most notably- Acadia/Acadiana— pronounced on the audio as AH Cah Ida but it’s actually pronounced as Ah cay dia.

A cross-genre true crime and memoir, HOME OF THE HAPPY is Jordan LaHaye Fontenot's first book. She skillfully set the scene of her great-grandfather's kidnapping and the investigation that followed in the 10 days before his body was found. Her details of the trial and conviction of a local man describe the town's horror at such an unthinkable crime. 40+ years later, this crime still echoes throughout the area. Fontenot describes the consequences for her family and the questions that arose about what had taken place. An easy 5 star read for me.

The narrator, Christine Lakin, did an excellent job of pulling the reader into the story. The Louisiana landscape comes to life as we see it through her descriptive voice. She adds an extra element to the story.

I really enjoyed Home of the Happy! Set in the lush Cajun Prairie, this atmospheric tale follows a small community shaken by a murder, with the author herself uncovering family secrets as she investigates the 1983 kidnapping and death of her own great-grandfather, Aubrey LaHaye. The vivid setting and personal connection to the story added an emotional layer, blending suspense with heartfelt moments as she explores the impact on her family. It’s a compelling mix of true crime and memoir that kept me hooked.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advance copy—I’m excited to read more from this author!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks to @netgalley, @harperaudio and @jordanlahayefontenot for the ARC audio in turn for an honest review.
I really enjoyed the audiobook, @yolakin is a perfect narrator. I was there was more finality and hope it comes by in an epilogue.

I absolutely LOVED the writing style of this book. I love true crime from the get go especially the stories of did they get it wrong? What really happened kind of true crime. They make you think. This book was all of that and more. The style of this book came off as if it jumped from a nonfiction to fiction and back and forth. It kept me on my toes and kept me interested. It wasn't your normal true crime book and made me feel as if I was reading a fiction book at times and I was all for that! Just as the author went back and forth on not knowing if he was guilty or not I felt the same. Her having her connection to the family and what happened was a great insight as well. Seeing the different views of family members gave different insights. Overall I just really liked how this book was done and the story line was interesting too and yet again another one of those stories that we may never really know the whole the truth.

Home of the Happy: A Murder on the Cajun Prairie by Jordan LaHaye Fontenot is a compelling blend of true crime and personal memoir. Fontenot delves into the 1983 murder of her great-grandfather in the Cajun community of South Louisiana. Here's a breakdown of what makes this book stand out:

This book centers on the author's investigation into her great-grandfather's murder, a crime that continues to haunt her family and community. This personal connection adds depth and urgency to the narrative.

Exploration of Cajun Culture: Fontenot vividly portrays the unique culture of the Cajun prairie, weaving in details of its history, traditions, and people. The setting becomes a character in itself, adding richness and atmosphere to the story.

Themes of Family, Memory, and Justice: The book explores how a violent crime reverberates through generations of a family, the complexities of memory and storytelling, and the search for truth and justice in a small community.

Well-Researched and Lyrical: Fontenot combines meticulous research with evocative prose, creating a narrative that is both informative and deeply engaging.

In summary, "Home of the Happy" is a powerful and moving book that will appeal to fans of true crime, memoir, and stories that explore the complexities of family and community.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jordan LaHaye Fontenot, and Harper Audio for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As someone who’s long been drawn to true crime, I picked up Home of the Happy: A Murder on the Cajun Prairie with high hopes. The premise had all the right ingredients—a horrific crime, deep cultural roots, and a forgotten case finally brought to light. Christine Lakin’s narration was excellent—her pacing kept me anchored, even as the story moved between timelines and threads. Larkin brought clarity to a complex narrative and avoided overdramatizing it.

The crime itself was absolutely shocking, and the investigation and trial that followed were filled with strange twists, flawed systems, and courtroom antics that were hard to believe. I also enjoyed getting a glimpse into Cajun culture, which added depth and local color to the story. But despite all that, I found myself struggling to stay engaged. There are a lot of players involved, and the constant time shifts, along with detailed tangents into the prison system and legal context, often left me feeling bogged down. I kept checking to see how much longer I had left, which is never a great sign when listening to a story like this.

I’d still recommend this to dedicated true crime fans, especially those who appreciate a more investigatory tone and don’t mind a slower, more layered narrative. For me, it was just okay—interesting in parts but too dense in others. Good, but didn’t quite hold me all the way through.

Many thanks to HarperAudio Adult | HarperAudio and NetGalley for the advance listen of this audiobook, released April 1, 2025

This was the first time I have read anything by this author. It was a very suspenseful book. I would definitely would would recommend this book and I will be buying it for my library.

Thank you HarperAudio adult and NetGalley for this arc.

I have a hard time rating true crime since it’s just that, true crime and not a fictional story. But I will say the audio was done in a way where it wasn’t cringey or annoying to listen too but kept my attention.

Learning about the south and LaHaye family was interesting, I was hooked from the beginning on the families storyline. All of the different takes throughout the years and extended family paints a real picture. I like true crime, I haven't heard of this story before. I haven't read a true crime book that didn't have an ending. It feels publishing should've waited.

For true-crime fans Home of the Happy will be very satisfying.

Richly detailed and well laid out, it grabs you from the start. Within the first hour of listening to this audiobook, “beautifully written” was my first thought. Jordan LaHaye Fontenot does an outstanding job and the audiobook is well executed.

Spellbinding and addicting are not a words I use often, but aptly apply to this book. You’ve got a crime and the unanswered questions which makes this story occupy your mind and leaves the reader with questions of their own.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC for my honest opinion.

This book was told with so many details. If you love true crime, this book is perfect. Really enjoyed all the different view points of who was affected by this crime.

LaHaye Fontenot approaches this deeply personal story with compassion and a strong desire to tie her familial history into the greater history of the region. This is well-written true crime with a lot of zigs and zags that were well contextualized and believable. The structure of moving back and forth between the past and present could have gotten tired, but it didn't, as LaHaye Fontenot deftly added on to the plot in both arenas.

Listening to the book definitely helps with pronunciation, but does create a bit of extra confusion with all of the overlapping familial names. LaHaye Fontenot does her best to explain how everyone is (and isn't) related, but a heavily Catholic region is just going to have these problems.

Audiobook ARC provided by Netgalley.