(from the publisher)
On a desolate island off the southern coast of Chile, an incredible discovery is made: a gigantic meteorite, the largest ever found, entombed in the earth for millions of years. Half a world away, billionaire entrepreneur Palmer Lloyd decides he must have it as the centerpiece of his grandiose new museum. He is willing to pay any price-in dollars and in lives. Getting it back to New York poses a particular challenge: It will be the heaviest object ever moved by humankind... Fueled by Lloyd's money, an audacious expedition takes shape. Disguising a state-of-the-art ship as a rusted freighter, the expedition secretly heads southward with a fail-safe plan to steal the meteorite from Chile. Leading the group is an inscrutable engineer hired by Lloyd, and a world-famous meteorite hunter whose career was shattered by a controversial theory. Soon, along the icy rim of Antarctica, in the grip of a frozen hell, the adventurers are confronted with a terrifying enigma about the origin-and nature-of the meteorite. It is a mystery they must solve-if they are to escape with their very lives.

Combining mesmerizing science, unbearable suspense, and great storytelling, Preston and Child once again produce a first-rate thriller that will have readers turning pages as fast they can, toward a shocking conclusion as powerful as the impact of a falling meteorite.