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The Decision
When is doing the right thing the wrong answer?
Jonathan Silverman is a well-respected attorney who finds himself drawn into the tumultuous worlds of pharmaceutical research and criminal enterprise when he’s approached by a small start-up that developed a revolutionary dementia treatment seeking his help with a newly filed class-action lawsuit.
As Jonathan contemplates representing the company, his father is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Despite his world being turned upside down by the devastating prognosis, agreeing to defend the company will provide him with an opportunity to fight for a groundbreaking therapy that may help his father.
As the litigation progresses, Jonathan’s path collides with MJ Fernandez, an intrepid investigative reporter who questions the lawsuit's timing and the FDA’s approval of a new drug by an obscure company about to launch its IPO. MJ is convinced that something is amiss with this company and their wunderkind founder. Reluctantly, they join forces to confront a ruthless investor determined to see the IPO move forward, no matter the cost.
Together, they balance on the tightrope of legality in search of the truth, only to find themselves in a no-win situation and fearing for their lives and the lives of those they love.
A creative yet treacherous solution emerges, but it requires Jonathan to make an impossible decision—a decision no one should ever have to make.
Jonathan Silverman is a well-respected attorney who finds himself drawn into the tumultuous worlds of pharmaceutical research and criminal enterprise when he’s approached by a small start-up that developed a revolutionary dementia treatment seeking his help with a newly filed class-action lawsuit.
As Jonathan contemplates representing the company, his father is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Despite his world being turned upside down by the devastating prognosis, agreeing to defend the company will provide him with an opportunity to fight for a groundbreaking therapy that may help his father.
As the litigation progresses, Jonathan’s path collides with MJ Fernandez, an intrepid investigative reporter who questions the lawsuit's timing and the FDA’s approval of a new drug by an obscure company about to launch its IPO. MJ is convinced that something is amiss with this company and their wunderkind founder. Reluctantly, they join forces to confront a ruthless investor determined to see the IPO move forward, no matter the cost.
Together, they balance on the tightrope of legality in search of the truth, only to find themselves in a no-win situation and fearing for their lives and the lives of those they love.
A creative yet treacherous solution emerges, but it requires Jonathan to make an impossible decision—a decision no one should ever have to make.
430 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 11, 2024
9 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 7, 2026
Well written and content research is amazing
Finished ✅
 “The Decision” excels in portraying the procedural mechanics of litigation without bogging the reader down. The legal detail feels meticulously researched and authentic. Equally impressive is the medical descriptions of the disease, the drugs, and their real world implications. This book reads like the work of someone who’s done their homework . Joe‘s writing balances compassion and clarity delivering a compelling narrative that asks difficult questions about responsibility, and care. For readers who enjoy character driven legal thrillers informed by medical and legal detail this is a thoughtful well written read. Joe’s novel is taut, a morally charged legal drama, that places its conflicted protagonist, Jonathan Silverman, at the intersection of law, medicine and family. Hired to represent a firm that develops dementia drugs, Jonathan is forced to confront professional duty versus personal conviction as a loved one succumbs to the disease.
I was totally blown away by how much research 🧐 must have gone into writing this book. Absolutely incredible read. Brilliant book 📕 by Joe Salerno - Author
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ without any questions.
Finished ✅
 “The Decision” excels in portraying the procedural mechanics of litigation without bogging the reader down. The legal detail feels meticulously researched and authentic. Equally impressive is the medical descriptions of the disease, the drugs, and their real world implications. This book reads like the work of someone who’s done their homework . Joe‘s writing balances compassion and clarity delivering a compelling narrative that asks difficult questions about responsibility, and care. For readers who enjoy character driven legal thrillers informed by medical and legal detail this is a thoughtful well written read. Joe’s novel is taut, a morally charged legal drama, that places its conflicted protagonist, Jonathan Silverman, at the intersection of law, medicine and family. Hired to represent a firm that develops dementia drugs, Jonathan is forced to confront professional duty versus personal conviction as a loved one succumbs to the disease.
I was totally blown away by how much research 🧐 must have gone into writing this book. Absolutely incredible read. Brilliant book 📕 by Joe Salerno - Author
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ without any questions.
December 22, 2025
Hey, this one was a very pleasant surprise.
Joe Salerno is a local author whom I’ve met at a couple of charity events on my island. I bought his book to support the home team, if you will. I didn’t expect it to actually be good.
But good it is. Salerno’s legal thriller gave me heroes to root for, villains to hiss at, and enough tension to make me lose track of time. All this, plus a passionate advocacy for sufferers from dementia and their families, make this a book I’ll not only praise to Salerno’s face, but recommend to others. Well done, Joe. Really. You knocked this one right over the Green Monster.
Joe Salerno is a local author whom I’ve met at a couple of charity events on my island. I bought his book to support the home team, if you will. I didn’t expect it to actually be good.
But good it is. Salerno’s legal thriller gave me heroes to root for, villains to hiss at, and enough tension to make me lose track of time. All this, plus a passionate advocacy for sufferers from dementia and their families, make this a book I’ll not only praise to Salerno’s face, but recommend to others. Well done, Joe. Really. You knocked this one right over the Green Monster.
December 25, 2025
This was the first legal thriller I have ever read and I enjoyed it greatly. I loved the fact we really got the feel of being in the case at hand from not only the side of the law but the human side as well. While reading it I could see the action playing out as if I was watching a court room drama or film. The fact the author made this case something that is so prevalent to so many people put the human aspect in it and made you really step into the shoes of Jonathan and wonder what would you do if that was you in that situation
September 12, 2025
This is a gripping legal and moral thriller that pulls you in from the very first page. Jonathan’s personal struggle, combined with high stakes pharmaceutical intrigue and relentless suspense, makes for a compelling and thought-provoking read. The tension between doing what’s right and what’s necessary is masterfully explored, keeping you hooked until the very end. A must-read for fans of legal drama and ethical dilemmas.
March 15, 2026
Jonathan Silverman is a well respected lawyer hired to represent a pharmaceutical company Propentus that developed a dementia drug and is seeking his help with a class action, high stakes lawsuit involving this groundbreaking dementia drug. People using this drug are accusing the company of serious side effects which involves kidney failure. During this time, his mother informs Jonathan of his father’s dementia diagnosis. Despite the lawsuit, Jonathan decides to pay a lot of money for his father to go on this drug that’s not covered by insurance. The company was successful in securing FDA approval for their treatment and were about to launch its IPO.
Jonathan’s father does well on the dementia drug which makes everyone happy especially Jonathan’s mother. As Jonathan asks the company for documents and investigates he notices things that he questions.
MJ Fernandez is a smart, courageous, relentless investigative reporter who questions the lawsuit’s timing and the FDA’s approval of a new drug by an obscure company about to launch its IPO. She’s convinced that something isn’t right with this company and the founder. She sees a big story and investigates which involves a “team” that obtains information that’s not accessible to others and is anonymous but there for MJ. MJ contacts Jonathan to explain what she and her team found out and end up working together. The closer they get to the truth the more their lives and the lives of their loved ones are in danger. They find out the mob is involved with the company and a lot of money is involved.
Jonathan than has to make the moral decision of exposing the pharmaceutical company for covering up serious side effects of the drug and saving people from these effects or defending them so his father could stay on the drug and help his dementia. He turns to his father for advice who tells him to do the right thing which is to expose them. Jonathan is wracked with guilt and sadness.
In the end MJ writes the story for the newspaper exposing the company for fraudulent behavior and how the company covered up the serious consequences people had from the drug. They don’t include the mob in the story. The company loses a lot of money and people in the company suffer the consequences including death. The plaintiffs of the lawsuit received millions of dollars for compensation.
The story was a morally charged legal and medical drama. It was a legal drama with ethical dilemmas and showed the personal struggle of doing what’s morally right. Each decision made by the company was an erosion of their ethics and integrity especially when a large amount of money was involved and their lives were at stake. Greed played a huge part with this company and they didn’t care how the drug was hurting the people taking it.
Jonathan had the struggle of making the decision of defending a company so his father can be on a medication that’s helping him now but may have negative effects on him in the long run or exposing the company for their fraudulent activity and coverups in order to save the lives of people taking the drug. He had the difficult decision of following his heart or his head.
Thank you Joe Salerno for sending me the book
Jonathan’s father does well on the dementia drug which makes everyone happy especially Jonathan’s mother. As Jonathan asks the company for documents and investigates he notices things that he questions.
MJ Fernandez is a smart, courageous, relentless investigative reporter who questions the lawsuit’s timing and the FDA’s approval of a new drug by an obscure company about to launch its IPO. She’s convinced that something isn’t right with this company and the founder. She sees a big story and investigates which involves a “team” that obtains information that’s not accessible to others and is anonymous but there for MJ. MJ contacts Jonathan to explain what she and her team found out and end up working together. The closer they get to the truth the more their lives and the lives of their loved ones are in danger. They find out the mob is involved with the company and a lot of money is involved.
Jonathan than has to make the moral decision of exposing the pharmaceutical company for covering up serious side effects of the drug and saving people from these effects or defending them so his father could stay on the drug and help his dementia. He turns to his father for advice who tells him to do the right thing which is to expose them. Jonathan is wracked with guilt and sadness.
In the end MJ writes the story for the newspaper exposing the company for fraudulent behavior and how the company covered up the serious consequences people had from the drug. They don’t include the mob in the story. The company loses a lot of money and people in the company suffer the consequences including death. The plaintiffs of the lawsuit received millions of dollars for compensation.
The story was a morally charged legal and medical drama. It was a legal drama with ethical dilemmas and showed the personal struggle of doing what’s morally right. Each decision made by the company was an erosion of their ethics and integrity especially when a large amount of money was involved and their lives were at stake. Greed played a huge part with this company and they didn’t care how the drug was hurting the people taking it.
Jonathan had the struggle of making the decision of defending a company so his father can be on a medication that’s helping him now but may have negative effects on him in the long run or exposing the company for their fraudulent activity and coverups in order to save the lives of people taking the drug. He had the difficult decision of following his heart or his head.
Thank you Joe Salerno for sending me the book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2025
This legal thriller pulled me in from page one. Jonathan Silverman is a layered, believable protagonist a man juggling his role as an attorney with the deeply personal crisis of his father’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. That conflict alone would have made for an emotional story, but when it collides with a high-stakes lawsuit involving a groundbreaking dementia drug, the tension becomes riveting.
I loved how the book blended legal drama, medical ethics, and investigative suspense. The addition of MJ Fernandez, the sharp and relentless reporter, gave the story another dimension and kept the pacing brisk. Their uneasy alliance felt real, with just enough sparks to make me root for their partnership.
What stood out most to me was the moral complexity. This isn’t a story of easy heroes and villains it’s about impossible choices, personal sacrifice, and the dangerous intersection of science, money, and power. The ending left me breathless, with that perfect mix of heartbreak and satisfaction.
I loved how the book blended legal drama, medical ethics, and investigative suspense. The addition of MJ Fernandez, the sharp and relentless reporter, gave the story another dimension and kept the pacing brisk. Their uneasy alliance felt real, with just enough sparks to make me root for their partnership.
What stood out most to me was the moral complexity. This isn’t a story of easy heroes and villains it’s about impossible choices, personal sacrifice, and the dangerous intersection of science, money, and power. The ending left me breathless, with that perfect mix of heartbreak and satisfaction.
October 15, 2025
4.25 stars.
‘The Decision” is a good quick read that checks a lot of boxes: it’s a legal thriller, a medical drama, and a family story all rolled into one novel. It also has some interesting high-stakes business wrangling and media/reporter storylines mixed in to make it even more interesting. Salerno clearly does his research on these all these topics, especially dementia research which the author actively supports. It’s a slow burn so don’t expect a white knuckle ride or anything, but it definitely builds tensions as the story progresses. The protagonists are pretty likable and work well together.
No audiobook on this one as of yet, but it’s an easy read on ebooks. Enjoy!
‘The Decision” is a good quick read that checks a lot of boxes: it’s a legal thriller, a medical drama, and a family story all rolled into one novel. It also has some interesting high-stakes business wrangling and media/reporter storylines mixed in to make it even more interesting. Salerno clearly does his research on these all these topics, especially dementia research which the author actively supports. It’s a slow burn so don’t expect a white knuckle ride or anything, but it definitely builds tensions as the story progresses. The protagonists are pretty likable and work well together.
No audiobook on this one as of yet, but it’s an easy read on ebooks. Enjoy!
September 27, 2025
I met Joe Salerno at an author event last weekend. I was able to speak with him about his books. The Decision was an amazing book. He hits to the core about loving someone with Alzheimer's. What would you morally do for someone you love with this awful disease if they came out with an experimental drug for it knowing that there are bad side effects? We all dream that this awful disease will someday go away. I love the mob ties to this book. MJ is a badass investigator reporter. I am looking forward to reading the second book in the MJ series.
December 25, 2024
The Decision is an intriguing page-turner from the first page and I could not put it down! The character development is terrific and the characters themselves are easy to visualize and understand, as is the moral dilemma that is the premise of the story. I think the story is relatable in today’s world in many ways and I like that part of the proceeds are going to the Alzheimer’s Association. An absolute 5-stars!!
March 22, 2026
Great read! I love a good suspense book and especially one that hits close to home in more than one way! So glad that I ran into the author at my local Barnes and Noble and now have my first ever autographed book to boot!!
It took me a second to figure out the key players in the book at first, but once things clicked I had a hard time putting it down!
It took me a second to figure out the key players in the book at first, but once things clicked I had a hard time putting it down!
November 20, 2024
Real-life suspense and intrigue make this a page-turner. It is a must-read for mystery/suspense lovers. And, it focuses on one of the most important issues of our time.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews