The Godmother by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough is from 1994. Unfortunately, the devastation of society when welfare for the vulnerable is cut remains a real issue, today. The godmother of the title adds a strong touch of fantasy to the story, but it is Scarborough’s vivid real world that sustains the book. It is a world in which people might get lost but, apart from the villains, they care. Society is saved, continually, by compassion and courage. Solid tension and well-developed characters.