Impact

Impact is a 2010 thriller novel published by Tor Books. It is the fourth solo fiction novel by Douglas Preston and the third to feature former CIA agent Wyman Ford.

Plot Summary
"Wyman Ford is tapped for a secret expedition to Cambodia... to locate the source of strangely beautiful gemstones that do not appear to be of this world.""While he searches for the origin of these dangerous jewels, a young woman in Maine borrows her father’s boat to search the outer islands for the meteorite that lit up the sky in her small town.""Meanwhile, a scientist at the National Propulsion Facility discovers an inexplicable source of gamma rays in the outer Solar System. He is found decapitated, the data missing.""Ford soon realizes the jewel mine he seeks is much more than it seems... and it is strangely connected to the events happening on the other side of the world. High resolution images from NASA soon reveal an unnatural feature hidden in the depths of a crater on Mars—but will Ford have time to stop another meteoroid from making IMPACT?"-Publisher's synopsis