Ava has spent the last hundred years as a hellhound, the indentured servant of a reaper who hunts errant souls and sends them to hell. When a human necro- mancer convinces her to steal her reaper's scythe, Ava incurs the wrath of the demon Lilith. As punishment, Lilith orders Ava to track down the last soul in her reaper's ledger—or die trying.But after a hundred years of servitude, it's time for payback. And hell hath no fury like an avenging Ava. . . .

From New York Times bestselling author Tim Green comes a captivating baseball novel about one kid's search of a lifetime.It's always been just Ryder and his mom. But on the way home from Ryder's baseball practice, everything comes to a halt. An accident sends his mom to the hospital, and now she is fighting for her life. So Ryder goes on a search to find his father, determined to help pay for the expensive operation to save his mother's life. But with only a signed baseball and a letter as his clues, and the help of his next-door neighbor and a New York City firefighter, will everything fall into place in time, or will Ryder become a lost boy forever?New York Times bestselling author Tim Green knocks this one out of the park, combining heart and baseball to create a story that readers will never forget.

Before America Singer met Prince Maxon . . .Before she entered the Selection . . .She was in love with a boy named Aspen Leger.Don't miss this digital original novella set in the captivating world of Kiera Cass's #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series. This brand new 64-page story begins just after the group of Selected girls is narrowed down to the Elite and is told from Aspen's point of view. The Guard also features a teaser to The One, the thrilling third novel in the Selection series.Epic Reads Impulse is a digital imprint with new releases each month.

An epic fantasy filled with adventure, intrigue, and romance from Incarnate series author Jodi Meadows. This duology is perfect for fans of Graceling by Kristin Cashore, The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson, and Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo.When Princess Wilhelmina was a child, the Indigo Kingdom invaded her homeland. Ten years later, Wil and the other noble children who escaped are ready to fight back and reclaim Wil’s throne. To do so, Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate the Indigo Kingdom palace with hopes of gathering information that will help them succeed.But Wil has a secret—one that could change everything. Although magic has been illegal for a century, she knows her ability could help her save her kingdom. But magic creates wraith, and the deadly stuff is moving closer and destroying the land. And if the vigilante Black Knife catches her using magic, she may disappear like all the others. . . .

Being one half of a BFF heart necklace is serious business—and in the Picture Perfect series, each story tackles a tough friendship challenge. Through the ups and downs of life in middle school, through braces and boy bands, family feuds and fashion disasters, your best bud is there. But what happens when friendship suddenly gets complicatedTween readers will adore these sweet, accessible stories about the power of friendship.Alice Kinney shouldn't be nervous about starting middle school. She's got her best friend, Cassidy, by her side, so it can't be that bad, rightExcept, Cass isn't at her side. For the first time since kindergarten, Alice and Cassidy aren't in any of the same classes, and Alice is stuck with a brand-new crew in honors class! The girls try to stay in touch from across the hallway with the help of a shared notebook—but when Alice accidentally befriends not-so-nice Nikki from Cassidy's dance class, she keeps it to herself. Cass will never understand.Alice juggles both friendships, waiting for the right moment to tell everyone the truth. But then, disaster strikes: Cass's play and Nikki's math competition are fall on the same night. Neither girl will ever forgive Alice if she misses their big day. What is Alice supposed to do when her two best friends are total enemies?

From New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand comes a gorgeous, heart-wrenching novel of love and loss, which ALA Booklist called "both shatteringly painful and bright with life and hope" in a starred review.Since her brother, Tyler, committed suicide, Lex has been trying to keep her grief locked away, and to forget about what happened that night. But as she starts putting her life, her family, and her friendships back together, Lex is haunted by a secret she hasn't told anyone—a text Tyler sent, that could have changed everything.In the tradition of Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why, Gayle Forman's If I Stay, and Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall, The Last Time We Say Goodbye is a thoughtful and deeply affecting novel that will change the way you look at life and death.

In this intricate novel of psychological suspense, a chilling discovery near the high school ignites a witch hunt in a southeast texas refinery town, unearthing communal and family secrets that threaten the lives of the town's girls.In Port Sabine, the air is thick with oil, superstition reigns, and dreams hang on making a winning play. All eyes are on Mercy Louis, the star of the championship girls' basketball team. Mercy seems destined for greatness, but the road out of town is riddled with obstacles. There is her grandmother Evelia, a strict evangelical who has visions of an imminent Rapture and sees herself as the keeper of Mercy's virtue. And then there are the cryptic letters from Charmaine, the mother who abandoned Mercy at birth.At the periphery of Mercy's world floats team manager Illa Stark, a lonely wallflower. Like the rest of the town, Illa is spellbound by Mercy's beauty and talent, but a note discovered in a gym locker reveals that Mercy's life may not be as perfect as it appears.The last day of school brings the disturbing find, and as summer unfolds and the police investigate, every girl becomes a suspect. At the opening game of the season, Mercy collapses—and Evelia prophesies that she is only the first to fall. Soon other girls are afflicted by the same mysterious condition, sending the town into a tailspin and bringing Illa and Mercy together in an unexpected way.Evocative and unsettling, The Unraveling of Mercy Louis charts the downfall of one town's golden girl while exploring the brutality and anxieties of girlhood in America.

An abandoned baby, a glorious old Newport mansion, and awakening romance swirl the glittering waters of Breakwater Bay . . . Preservationist Meri Hollis loves her latest project, restoring one of Newport's forgotten Gilded Age mansions. And with summer approaching, she'll be able to spend more time with her grandmother on the Rhode Island shore. She has a great job, a loving family, and she's pretty sure her boyfriend is going to propose on her thirtieth birthday.But everything Meri believes about family, happiness, truth, and love is shattered when her family's darkest secret is exposed. Thirty years before, Meri's neighbor and friend, Alden Corrigan, took his father's dinghy out to fish. In a sudden storm, he rushed to help a woman stranded on the breakwater. She was just a girl . . . a very pregnant girl who disappeared soon after they reached safety—but not before she left behind a special gift. Now that the truth is out, life will change for everyone in Breakwater Bay, and Meri and Alden will have to make decisions that could ensure their future together . . . or separate them for good.

When a group of friends reunite in the idyllic beach town where they grew up, they must reevaluate their loyalty to one another or lose their friendship foreverTwelve years ago, Vanessa "Van" Moran fell in love and lost her virginity—but not to the same boy. She fled Whisper Beach desperate and pregnant, never telling a soul about her secret. Now a professional Manhattan organizer, she must return home for the first time to attend the funeral of her best friend's husband. Van intends to only stay for a weekend, but her plans fall by the wayside as the troubles of this coastal town draw her in.Dorie, the owner of the pier's infamous Blue Crab Restaurant where Van and her friends worked as teenagers, enlists Van's help to save the nearly bankrupt eatery. While Van throws herself into this new task, the man she once loved reenters her life, willing to pick up where they left off.As the restaurant begins to thrive and Van reconnects with old friends, trouble comes from an unexpected source and she realizes she must face the decisions of her past or sacrifice this new life she has so carefully built.For Van, this summer will test the meaning of friendship and trust—and how far love can bend before it breaks.

The fourth fun installment in the Debutante Dropout series finds ex-debutante Andy Kendricks following a cold lead into a hot Dallas strip club.Renegade rich girl Andy Kendricks isn't the belle of any Dallas ball—and that's just the way the debutante dropout likes it! She's got a good life and a great man: her defense attorney boyfriend, Brian Malone. Brian's such a straight arrow that he had to be dragged kicking and screaming to a close friend's bachelor party at a sleazy local "gentlemen's club."So why is the groom-to-be saying that Brian left the bacchanal arm-in-arm with the hottest body in the Lone Star StateAnd what was that hot body doing stone-cold dead in the trunk of Brian's carAnd where is Brian, anywayThe cops are looking for Andy's allegedly unfaithful/possibly homicidal beau, who hasn't been seen since the party. But Andy can't believe her upstanding lover is a murdering fool, and she's determined to prove it—though she may end up with a lot more broken than just her heart.

Andy Kendricks is back in the third sassy and irresistible installment in Susan McBride's Debutante Dropout series … and this time she's teaming up with her high-society mama to catch a killer who's targeting rich, lonely widows. Wealthy Texas widows need loving too … which is why Bebe Kent joined a dating service for "discriminating" seniors soon after relocating to the swanky Belle Meade retirement community. Unfortunately, Bebe didn't even live long enough to meet "Mr. Right." And though doctors declared her death totally natural, extravagant blue-blooded Dallas socialite Cissy Blevins Kendricks believes her old friend's demise was hastened—and she's ready to check herself into Belle Meade incognito to prove it. Cissy's rebellious, sometimes-sleuthing daughter, Andrea, wants no part of her mother's crazy schemes—yet she's anything but pleased that Cissy is going off on her own, playing a highbrow Miss Marple. So she has no choice but to join her mom in search of the truth—especially when more well-heeled widows start turning up dead …

Love Miss MarpleAdore Holmes and WatsonProfessor Morley's guide to Norfolk is a story of bygone England: quaint villages, eccentric locals—and murder …It is 1937, and disillusioned Spanish Civil War veteran Stephen Sefton is broke. So when he sees a mysterious advertisement for a job where "intelligence is essential," he eagerly applies.Thus begins Sefton's association with Professor Swanton Morley, an omnivorous intellect. Morley's latest project is a history of traditional England, with a guide to every county.They start in Norfolk, but when the vicar of Blakeney is found hanging from his church's bell rope, Morley and Sefton find themselves drawn into a rather more fiendish plot. Did the reverend really take his own life, or is there something darker afoot?A must-read for fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, and Charles Todd, this novel includes plenty of murder, mystery, and mayhem to confound.

Ferals is the first book in a dark, action-packed trilogy that’s part The Graveyard Book, part Batman, and all high-octane adventure.Blackstone was once a thriving metropolis. But that was before the Dark Summer—a wave of violence and crime that swept through the city eight years ago, orchestrated by the fearsome Spinning Man. Now the Spinning Man is on the move again, and a boy named Caw is about to be caught in his web.Caw has never questioned his ability to communicate with crows. But as the threat of a new Dark Summer looms, Caw discovers the underground world of Blackstone’s ferals—those with the power to control animals. Caw is one of them. And to save his city, he must quickly master abilities he never knew he had . . . and prepare to defeat a darkness he never could have imagined.

The author of Please Don't Come Back from the Moon and My American Unhappiness delivers his breakout novel: a deft and hilarious exploration of the simmering tensions beneath the surface of a contented marriage that explode in the bedrooms and backyards of a small town over the course of a long, hot summerIn the sweltering heat of one summer in a small Midwestern town, Claire and Don Lowry discover that married life isn't quite what they'd predicted.One night Don, a father of two, leaves his house for an evening stroll, only to wake up the next morning stoned and lying in a hammock next to a young woman he barely knows. Meanwhile, his wife, Claire, leaves the house to go on a midnight run—only to find herself bumming cigarettes and beer outside the all-night convenience store.As the summer lingers and the temperature rises, this quotidian town's adults grow wilder and more reckless while their children grow increasingly confused. Claire, Don, and their neighbors and friends find themselves on an existential odyssey, exploring the most puzzling quandaries of marriage and maturity. When does a fantasy become infidelityWhen does compromise incite resentmentWhen does routine become boring monotonyCan Claire and Don survive everything that befalls them in this one summer, forgive their mistakes, and begin again?Award-winning writer Dean Bakopoulos delivers a brutally honest and incredibly funny novel about the strange and tenuous ties that bind us, and the strange and unlikely places we find connection. Full of mirth, melancholy, and redemption, Summerlong explores what happens when life goes awry.

Secure your iOS applications and uncover hidden vulnerabilities by conducting penetration testsAbout This BookAchieve your goal to secure iOS devices and applications with the help of this fast paced manualFind vulnerabilities in your iOS applications and fix them with the help of this example-driven guideAcquire the key skills that will easily help you to perform iOS exploitation and forensics with greater confidence and a stronger understandingWho This Book Is ForThis book is for IT security professionals who want to conduct security testing of applications. This book will give you exposure to diverse tools to perform penetration testing. This book will also appeal to iOS developers who would like to secure their applications, as well as security professionals. It is easy to follow for anyone without experience of iOS pentesting.What You Will LearnUnderstand the basics of iOS app development, deployment, security architecture, application signing, application sandboxing, and OWASP TOP 10 for mobileSet up your lab for iOS app pentesting and identify sensitive information stored locallyPerform traffic analysis of iOS devices and catch sensitive data being leaked by side channelsModify an application’s behavior using runtime analysisAnalyze an application’s binary for security protectionAcquire the knowledge required for exploiting iOS devicesLearn the basics of iOS forensicsIn DetailiOS has become one of the most popular mobile operating systems with more than 1.4 million apps available in the iOS App Store. Some security weaknesses in any of these applications or on the system could mean that an attacker can get access to the device and retrieve sensitive information. This book will show you how to conduct a wide range of penetration tests on iOS devices to uncover vulnerabilities and strengthen the system from attacks.Learning iOS Penetration Testing discusses the common vulnerabilities and security-related shortcomings in an iOS application and operating system, and will teach you to conduct static and dynamic analysis of iOS applications.This practical guide will help you uncover vulnerabilities in iOS phones and applications. We begin with basics of iOS security and dig deep to learn about traffic analysis, code analysis, and various other techniques. Later, we discuss the various utilities, and the process of reversing and auditing.Style and approachThis fast-paced and practical guide takes a step-by-step approach to penetration testing with the goal of helping you secure your iOS devices and apps quickly.

Harness the latest features of MongoDB 3 with this collection of 80 recipes – from managing cloud platforms to app development, this book is a vital resourceAbout This BookGet to grips with the latest features of MongoDB 3Interact with the MongoDB server and perform a wide range of query operations from the shellFrom administration to automation, this cookbook keeps you up to date with the world’s leading NoSQL databaseWho This Book Is ForThis book is engineered for anyone who is interested in managing data in an easy and efficient way using MongoDB. You do not need any prior knowledge of MongoDB, but it would be helpful if you have some programming experience in either Java or Python.What You Will LearnInstall, configure, and administer MongoDB sharded clusters and replica setsBegin writing applications using MongoDB in Java and Python languagesInitialize the server in three different modes with various configurationsPerform cloud deployment and introduce PaaS for MongoDiscover frameworks and products built to improve developer productivity using MongoTake an in-depth look at the Mongo programming driver APIs in Java and PythonSet up enterprise class monitoring and backups of MongoDBIn DetailMongoDB is a high-performance and feature-rich NoSQL database that forms the backbone of the systems that power many different organizations – it’s easy to see why it’s the most popular NoSQL database on the market. Packed with many features that have become essential for many different types of software professionals and incredibly easy to use, this cookbook contains many solutions to the everyday challenges of MongoDB, as well as guidance on effective techniques to extend your skills and capabilities.This book starts with how to initialize the server in three different modes with various configurations. You will then be introduced to programming language drivers in both Java and Python. A new feature in MongoDB 3 is that you can connect to a single node using Python, set to make MongoDB even more popular with anyone working with Python. You will then learn a range of further topics including advanced query operations, monitoring and backup using MMS, as well as some very useful administration recipes including SCRAM-SHA-1 Authentication. Beyond that, you will also find recipes on cloud deployment, including guidance on how to work with Docker containers alongside MongoDB, integrating the database with Hadoop, and tips for improving developer productivity.Created as both an accessible tutorial and an easy to use resource, on hand whenever you need to solve a problem, MongoDB Cookbook will help you handle everything from administration to automation with MongoDB more effectively than ever before.Style and approachEvery recipe is explained in a very simple set-by-step manner yet is extremely comprehensive.

Enhance your understanding of Computer Vision and image processing by developing real-world projects in OpenCV 3About This BookGet to grips with the basics of Computer Vision and image processingThis is a step-by-step guide to developing several real-world Computer Vision projects using OpenCV 3This book takes a special focus on working with Tesseract OCR, a free, open-source library to recognize text in imagesWho This Book Is ForIf you are a software developer with a basic understanding of Computer Vision and image processing and want to develop interesting Computer Vision applications with Open CV, this is the book for you. Knowledge of C++ is required.What You Will LearnInstall OpenCV 3 on your operating systemCreate the required CMake *s to compile the C++ application and manage its dependenciesGet to grips with the Computer Vision workflows and understand the basic image matrix format and filtersUnderstand the segmentation and feature extraction techniquesRemove backgrounds from a static scene to identify moving objects for video surveillanceTrack different objects in a live video using various techniquesUse the new OpenCV functions for text detection and recognition with TesseractIn DetailOpen CV is a cross-platform, free-for-use library that is primarily used for real-time Computer Vision and image processing. It is considered to be one of the best open source libraries that helps developers focus on constructing complete projects on image processing, motion detection, and image segmentation.Whether you are completely new to the concept of Computer Vision or have a basic understanding of it, this book will be your guide to understanding the basic OpenCV concepts and algorithms through amazing real-world examples and projects.Starting from the installation of OpenCV on your system and understanding the basics of image processing, we swiftly move on to creating optical flow video analysis or text recognition in complex scenes, and will take you through the commonly used Computer Vision techniques to build your own Open CV projects from scratch.By the end of this book, you will be familiar with the basics of Open CV such as matrix operations, filters, and histograms, as well as more advanced concepts such as segmentation, machine learning, complex video analysis, and text recognition.Style and approachThis book is a practical guide with lots of tips, and is closely focused on developing Computer vision applications with OpenCV. Beginning with the fundamentals, the complexity increases with each chapter. Sample applications are developed throughout the book that you can execute and use in your own projects.

Over 25 hands-on recipes to create robust and highly-efficient cross-platform distributed applications with the Boost.Asio libraryAbout This BookBuild highly efficient distributed applications with easeEnhance your cross-platform network programming skills with one of the most reputable C++ librariesFind solutions to real-world problems related to network programming with ready-to-use recipes using this detailed and practical handbookWho This Book Is ForIf you want to enhance your C++ network programming skills using the Boost.Asio library and understand the theory behind development of distributed applications, this book is just what you need. The prerequisite for this book is experience with general C++11. To get the most from the book and comprehend advanced topics, you will need some background experience in multithreading.What You Will LearnBoost your working knowledge of one of the most reputable C++ networking libraries—Boost.AsioFamiliarize yourself with the basics of TCP and UDP protocolsCreate scalable and highly-efficient client and server applicationsUnderstand the theory behind development of distributed applicationsIncrease the security of your distributed applications by adding SSL supportImplement a HTTP client easilyUse iostreams, scatter-gather buffers, and timersIn DetailStarting with recipes demonstrating the execution of basic Boost.Asio operations, the book goes on to provide ready-to-use implementations of client and server applications from simple synchronous ones to powerful multithreaded scalable solutions. Finally, you are presented with advanced topics such as implementing a chat application, implementing an HTTP client, and adding SSL support. All the samples presented in the book are ready to be used in real projects just out of the box.As well as excellent practical examples, the book also includes extended supportive theoretical material on distributed application design and construction.Style and approachThis book is a set of recipes, each containing the statement and de*ion of a particular practical problem followed by code sample providing the solution to the problem and detailed step-by-step explanation. Recipes are grouped by topic into chapters and ordered by the level of complexity from basic to advanced.

Learn the A to Z of building excellent Splunk applications with the latest techniques using this comprehensive guideAbout This BookThis is the most up-to-date book on Splunk 6.3 for developersGet ahead of being just a Splunk user and start creating custom Splunk applications as per your needsYour one-stop-solution to Splunk application developmentWho This Book Is ForThis book is for those who have some familiarity with Splunk and now want to learn how to develop an efficient Splunk application. Previous experience with Splunk, writing searches, and designing basic dashboards is expected.What You Will LearnImplement a Modular Input and a custom D3 data visualizationCreate a directory structure and set view permissionsCreate a search view and a dashboard view using advanced XML modulesEnhance your application using eventtypes, tags, and macrosPackage a Splunk application using best practicesPublish a Splunk application to the Splunk communityIn DetailSplunk provides a platform that allows you to search data stored on a machine, analyze it, and visualize the analyzed data to make informed decisions. The adoption of Splunk in enterprises is huge, and it has a wide range of customers right from Adobe to Dominos. Using the Splunk platform as a user is one thing, but customizing this platform and creating applications specific to your needs takes more than basic knowledge of the platform.This book will dive into developing Splunk applications that cater to your needs of making sense of data and will let you visualize this data with the help of stunning dashboards.This book includes everything on developing a full-fledged Splunk application right from designing to implementing to publishing. We will design the fundamentals to build a Splunk application and then move on to creating one. During the course of the book, we will cover application data, objects, permissions, and more. After this, we will show you how to enhance the application, including branding, workflows, and enriched data. Views, dashboards, and web frameworks are also covered.This book will showcase everything new in the latest version of Splunk including the latest data models, alert actions, XML forms, various dashboard enhancements, and visualization options (with D3). Finally, we take a look at the latest Splunk cloud applications, advanced integrations, and development as per the latest release.Style and approachThis book is an easy-to-follow guide with lots of tips and tricks to help you master all the concepts necessary to develop and deploy your Splunk applications.

Gear up for a roller-coaster ride into the world of JavaScript and programming with this easy-to-follow, fun, and entertaining project-based guideAbout This BookGet to know the concepts of HTML and CSS to work with JavaScriptExplore the concepts of object-oriented programmingFollow this step-by-step guide on the fundamentals of JavaScript programmingWho This Book Is ForIf you've never written code before or you are completely new to the world of web programming, then this book is the right choice for you. This book is for kids of age 10 years and above and parents who are completely new to the world of programming and want to get introduced to programming.What You Will LearnLearn how to work with Google Developer tools to iterate, debug and profile your codeDevelop a Battleship game using the basic concepts of HTML and CSSGet to know the fundamentals of JavaScript programmingCreate our own version of Pac Man game.Discover the vital concepts of object-oriented programmingIn DetailJavaScript is the most widely-used programming language for web development and that's not all! It has evolved over the years and is now being implemented in an array of environments from websites to robotics. Learning JavaScript will help you see the broader picture of web development.This book will take your imagination to new heights by teaching you how to work with JavaScript from scratch. It will introduce you to HTML and CSS to enhance the appearance of your applications. You’ll then use your skills to build on a cool Battleship game! From there, the book will introduce you to jQuery and show you how you can manipulate the DOM. You’ll get to play with some cool stuff using Canvas and will learn how to make use of Canvas to build a game on the lines of Pacman, only a whole lot cooler! Finally, it will show you a few tricks with OOP to make your code clean and will end with a few road maps on areas you can explore further.Style and approachThis is an easy-to-follow, informative, and fun guide that takes a project-based approach to teaching programming in JavaScript. You will learn everything you need to get started with serious web application development.

Like a billion people on earth, aspiring actress Piper Donovan is a fervent Facebook follower. But what she doesn't know is that a "friend" is following her. Possibly . . . stalking. A fan who starts by using the same beauty salon eventually comes closer—much closer—in this chilling short story.