The Death Cure: Maze Runner #3    by James Dashner Order:  USA  Can Delacorte, 2013 (2011) Hardcover, Softcover, CD, e-Book     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson The Death Cure follows The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials as the third in a dystopian trilogy, in which amnesiac but intrepid teenagers are made subjects in horrific experiments. I somehow missed the first two books and definitely recommend reading the series in order. However I was able to catch up and enjoy The Death Cure. As it opens, our hero, Thomas, has been kept isolated in a padded room by WICKED, the organization that has been experimenting on the teens, supposedly in search of a cure for the disease, the Flare, that is sending mankind into violent madness. He worries about his friends and is furious with Teresa, whose last words to him were 'WICKED is good'. Eventually the Rat Man opens the door and asks him, 'do you believe the ends can justify the means? When there's no choice left?' He divulges the fact that Thomas and most (but not all) of his fellow Gladers are Munies, immune to the Flare, and hated by those who are not. And he offers to restore the Gladers' memories. Though some accept, Thomas and his friends Minho and Newt refuse. Betrayals, surprises and constant action abound in what follows. Brenda and Jorge help Thomas, Minho and Newt to escape, only to find that Teresa and the others left without them. They head to Denver in search of a scientist who can remove their brain implants, and are contacted by a rebel group, the Right Arm. And Thomas begins to recover his memories through dreams. There are captures and escapes, and regular violence as the Flare overtakes the city, and someone close to Thomas succumbs. Thomas finds out what WICKED wants from him, their Final Candidate, and ends up in the Maze once more. Though there is a happy ending for many, not all make it in this exciting conclusion to the popular trilogy. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews