On a cold storm's-a-coming type of evening in 1936, Ned Vatcher walks home from school, like he always does. Only this time, when he gets home, his depressed mother isn't there to meet him. Neither is his powerful-turned-disgraced father. The mystery of his missing parents eludes even those closest to them, including a boozy family friend, a Jesuit priest and Ned's own extended family. It all culminates in the answer to the question: What happened to the vanished Vatchers?

First Snow, Last Light (Knopf Canada) by Wayne Johnston, $35.

To discover more Penguin Random House reads click here. Plus, enter our contest for your chance to win six Penguin Random House titles.