MANIA

This conclusion to the Night Walkers trilogy turns into a shoot-’em-up without abandoning its original paranormal premise.

Parker and his half brother, Jack, are Watchers: they enter the dreams of the last person with whom they made eye contact that day. Opposing them are the Takers, who can enter the minds of anyone they choose and literally inhabit their bodies, taking over completely. By this third book, the fathers of the teens on both sides have died, leaving their sons to continue fighting. Jack was trained by his father to lead the Watchers; Cooper leads the Takers. The first part of this final installment focuses on physical action, including an actual gunfight when the Takers kidnap Parker and Jack and the rest of the Watchers try to rescue him. However, Cooper has discovered drugs that can turn people into Takers, and he intends to do just that to Parker. Meanwhile, Jack searches for a formula developed by his father that can save the lives of Takers, who normally do not live long. Complicating matters, Chloe, a Taker girl, claims to have switched sides, but is she telling the truth? Johansson takes her time in returning to the paranormal dreaming, but she keeps pages flipping, writing in separate chapters for Parker and Jack to weave together the two plotlines. Characters come straight from central casting, but the action scenes will keep readers focused.

Less mystery but more action finishes the trilogy.