Goonhilly Enigma — Tony Harmsworth

This is the second volume in a trilogy dealing with the discovery of an alien artefact which has been found in low earth orbit by Dr. Evelyn Slater and Yuri Bulgakov using the scaffy wagon. Secrecy had immediately descended upon the project. Only a few select individuals knew the true nature of what had been found. Evelyn and Yuri's mission changed from debris collection to building the Cluster laboratory to study the alien device. Now back on Earth, Evelyn, who is also an astronomer and psychologist, becomes director of the Goonhilly Earth Station with responsibility for unravelling the artefact's secrets. Evelyn's team of hackers and linquists throw themselves into a study of the mass of data being downloaded from the alien artefact's memory banks, finding first images then language. She briefs the British Cabinet but secrecy is maintained until it becomes impossible to hide the discovery from the population of the world any longer. Wonderful story telling - you will not put this book down.