The Osmium Marbles - Ian Bradley - Bog

Stargazing tourists in the Australian Outback witness the final moments of an Ariane Rocket. They follow its trajectory and find a set of osmium-coated marbles among the wreckage. They share the spoils and go their various ways, pleased with their souvenirs and unaware that other eyes far away have also noted the incident with interest. A thousand miles to the west, CIA agents working out of Alice Springs are already mounting a covert operation to recover the marbles. Also on their trail is Kelly MacDonald, an Australian forensic pathologist and Steve Moss, a battle-weary SAS soldier. Because this isn't the first time something has crashed out of the sky containing unexpected traces of the osmium, the densest element known to man. The recent, forced re-entry of an American manned satellite also displayed traces of osmium...mingled with alien DNA.