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Dementia
Walter King was everybody's favorite neighbor. A quiet widower, proud veteran, always kept his grass trimmed and his stories short. The kind of man folks waved to from the porch and trusted with a spare key.
Every old man was young once, and some things don't fade with time-they fester.
Now, as Walter's body begins to fail him- legs bucklin', mind slippin', ghosts crowdin' the corners of his eyes-the truth starts creepin' in through the floorboards. Faces long buried, sins long sealed, all risin' up like rot beneath fresh paint.
He kept it hidden for decades. Played the part. Whether it's fear of damnation... or hope for a legacy to leave behind... death's icy grip is fixin' to choke the truth out of him.
Every old man was young once, and some things don't fade with time-they fester.
Now, as Walter's body begins to fail him- legs bucklin', mind slippin', ghosts crowdin' the corners of his eyes-the truth starts creepin' in through the floorboards. Faces long buried, sins long sealed, all risin' up like rot beneath fresh paint.
He kept it hidden for decades. Played the part. Whether it's fear of damnation... or hope for a legacy to leave behind... death's icy grip is fixin' to choke the truth out of him.
450 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 20, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 10, 2025
I fell hook, line and sinker for the "poor old fella" in the first few chapters. Man alive. I feel really gross in myself that I sat and said "that's what you get" about an elderly person!
Also read this entire book in a southern accent (internal monologue) because of how it's written, which made it even more fun!
Also read this entire book in a southern accent (internal monologue) because of how it's written, which made it even more fun!
August 25, 2025
Whoah!
5/5
This book was very disgusting in the best ways! I don't think I've ever quite read anything like it. I was lucky to receive a early reader copy to this book a couple of weeks ago and I blew through all 470 pages in a week and was still left wanting
more.
This pulled me out of a bit of a reading funk I've been in for a few months.
I really can't recommend this one enough!
I must say this is the first time I've actually been scared by a book in a while.
5/5
This book was very disgusting in the best ways! I don't think I've ever quite read anything like it. I was lucky to receive a early reader copy to this book a couple of weeks ago and I blew through all 470 pages in a week and was still left wanting
more.
This pulled me out of a bit of a reading funk I've been in for a few months.
I really can't recommend this one enough!
I must say this is the first time I've actually been scared by a book in a while.
October 24, 2025
I won’t lie, this book surprised me. I really liked it! I enjoyed the portrayal of dementia and paranormal horror. It was unique to get to experience the feeling of losing one’s mind to dementia and how scary that can really be. Plus throwing in some karma-induced paranormal attacks was icing on the cake. And the inspo of using cold true crime cases from deaths on the highway with truck drivers is TOO real. I loved it.
I did notice quite a few of grammatical errors that would sometimes pull me out of the story, but a quick run through with an editor would totally solve that problem.
I did notice quite a few of grammatical errors that would sometimes pull me out of the story, but a quick run through with an editor would totally solve that problem.
November 2, 2025
DNFd at around 30%. The beginning was very promising and I was hoping for a good horror read. But alas on chapter 3 the grammar and spelling mistakes pulled me right. Not to mention the constant repetitions, I just found myself skimming through passages, trying to find the interesting part. The concept was good, the character feels real, but the execution is not the best. This book needs to be revised a couple more times, then sent to professional editing and then I believe it could be a success.
September 29, 2025
I LOVED this book. Just finished it and had to write a review. If you like first person pov psychological horrors this is the book for you. Writing style/layout definitely falls in line with someone who would have dementia. All in all, I read this book on kindle and had to get myself the physical copy.
November 29, 2025
A wild ride from start to finish! Read this for Reading Room Ruffiuans podcast. We've had Tara on before. This one was *a lot* more manageable for me than Obsession was - I am *not* a horror girlie y'all lol This one is a lot more psychological. Be prepared for lots of triggers though!
November 6, 2025
I absolutely loved this book, and cant wait to read anything else Tara writes!!! Walter started out likeable, but didn't stay that way long. I don't put spoilers in my reviews, but sometimes it's hard. I don't usually give 5 stars, but this book definitely deserved five. The author pulled me into the story very quickly. This book was hyped up to me before I read it, and it definitely lived up to the hype! This book had everything you would expect in a horror book. I highly recommend!!!!
October 13, 2025
I have had to type this review 3 times now!
This isn't a typical horror. It's not guts and gore. It's not scary clowns or anything like that. It's more of a real life scary. As in "oh shit, this could really happen"
Walter! You made me feel all the feels.
I started out loving Walter because he reminded me of my pappy who is no longer with us. And honestly, minus to "dark parts" he reminded me of my pap the whole way through the story.
I had moments where I loved this old man and moments where I hated him.
It's such a good real and fast paced. I finished it in one sitting.
PLEASE CHECK IT OUT
This isn't a typical horror. It's not guts and gore. It's not scary clowns or anything like that. It's more of a real life scary. As in "oh shit, this could really happen"
Walter! You made me feel all the feels.
I started out loving Walter because he reminded me of my pappy who is no longer with us. And honestly, minus to "dark parts" he reminded me of my pap the whole way through the story.
I had moments where I loved this old man and moments where I hated him.
It's such a good real and fast paced. I finished it in one sitting.
PLEASE CHECK IT OUT
August 26, 2025
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review, so here goes!
First, there should be a trigger warning for animal abuse. If you're an animal lover, beware.
This book had potential. The story itself is interesting the way the main character slips back and forth between past and present. The title is dementia but I think the main character might also have PTSD. It's descriptive and you really get to know the main character's personality quickly the way it's written from his point of view the way he thinks.
It's clear that it wasn't proofread though, with all the keying, spelling, punctuation and formatting errors. Those were so plentiful and distracting to me that it took away from the story and made it hard to understand at times and I couldn't like the book because of this.
First, there should be a trigger warning for animal abuse. If you're an animal lover, beware.
This book had potential. The story itself is interesting the way the main character slips back and forth between past and present. The title is dementia but I think the main character might also have PTSD. It's descriptive and you really get to know the main character's personality quickly the way it's written from his point of view the way he thinks.
It's clear that it wasn't proofread though, with all the keying, spelling, punctuation and formatting errors. Those were so plentiful and distracting to me that it took away from the story and made it hard to understand at times and I couldn't like the book because of this.
January 19, 2026
Have you ever wondered what it might feel like to live inside the mind of an old man with dementia while being haunted by the victims of his past crimes? If that question alone makes you uneasy, Dementia by Tara Hanson is a psychological horror you should not ignore.
Written in a heavy Southern drawl, this novel does something deeply unsettling: it crawls under your skin slowly and deliberately. Hanson makes you sympathize with Walter—an aging man losing his grip on reality—only to methodically peel back the layers, using dementia itself as the mechanism that amplifies the horror. The result is haunting, intimate, and profoundly uncomfortable in the best way psychological horror should be.
Hanson’s writing is strong and intentional, relying on colloquialisms and voice to reinforce the central idea that the worst people are not monsters lurking in the shadows—they’re living among us. They could even be someone familiar. The cast is small but effective: Walter, his granddaughter, his son, his deceased wife, and the growing presence of those who come to haunt him. The pacing does drag at times, but it’s clearly purposeful, mirroring the disorientation and repetition of a mind unraveling. While it can make certain sections harder to read, it ultimately serves the story well and fully immerses you in Walter’s experience.
Thematically, the book is heavy. It confronts memory, guilt, generational silence, and the forgotten victims of violence—particularly women whose cases were never solved along U.S. highway systems. While the author explains this intent at the end, I personally felt that the context might have been even more powerful if it had been foregrounded earlier. Still, the execution is chilling, and the message lingers long after the final page. A content note: animals are harmed in the story—it's disturbing but not gratuitous, and it plays an important narrative role.
On a personal level, this book resonated deeply with me, having recently experienced the decline and death of an elderly loved one. That proximity made me more sympathetic to the emotional texture of the story than some readers may be, so I’d recommend protecting your peace if dementia or end-of-life themes are especially tender for you.
If you enjoy psychological horror that is subtle, unsettling, and morally challenging—and if you’re a fan of Stephen King or films like Memento—this book is absolutely worth your time. It’s not just a spooky-season read. It’s a reminder that the most terrifying horrors are often the ones hiding in plain sight.
Written in a heavy Southern drawl, this novel does something deeply unsettling: it crawls under your skin slowly and deliberately. Hanson makes you sympathize with Walter—an aging man losing his grip on reality—only to methodically peel back the layers, using dementia itself as the mechanism that amplifies the horror. The result is haunting, intimate, and profoundly uncomfortable in the best way psychological horror should be.
Hanson’s writing is strong and intentional, relying on colloquialisms and voice to reinforce the central idea that the worst people are not monsters lurking in the shadows—they’re living among us. They could even be someone familiar. The cast is small but effective: Walter, his granddaughter, his son, his deceased wife, and the growing presence of those who come to haunt him. The pacing does drag at times, but it’s clearly purposeful, mirroring the disorientation and repetition of a mind unraveling. While it can make certain sections harder to read, it ultimately serves the story well and fully immerses you in Walter’s experience.
Thematically, the book is heavy. It confronts memory, guilt, generational silence, and the forgotten victims of violence—particularly women whose cases were never solved along U.S. highway systems. While the author explains this intent at the end, I personally felt that the context might have been even more powerful if it had been foregrounded earlier. Still, the execution is chilling, and the message lingers long after the final page. A content note: animals are harmed in the story—it's disturbing but not gratuitous, and it plays an important narrative role.
On a personal level, this book resonated deeply with me, having recently experienced the decline and death of an elderly loved one. That proximity made me more sympathetic to the emotional texture of the story than some readers may be, so I’d recommend protecting your peace if dementia or end-of-life themes are especially tender for you.
If you enjoy psychological horror that is subtle, unsettling, and morally challenging—and if you’re a fan of Stephen King or films like Memento—this book is absolutely worth your time. It’s not just a spooky-season read. It’s a reminder that the most terrifying horrors are often the ones hiding in plain sight.
August 21, 2025
I beta read for this when it was in pre-publishing, and even then, this story struck me. This book was unlike anything I have ever read, the only thing that comes close to mind is A Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe. I binge read it for days, the horror was so disgusting and revolting with the perfect amount of description. Additionally, I loved how the topic of SA was handled, as while they were a necessary plot mention as Walter is a horrible horrible man, they weren't described vividly, often being fade to black. Knowing what happened was horror enough, and I appreciate that the act itself wasn't capitalized off of for shock factor. I hated Walter, which is exactly what we're supposed to feel for him, and couldn't contain my excitement when he suffered over and over again. His destruction came from himself, the one thing he always felt he had power with, and if that isn't beautiful irony and perfect justice, I don't know what is. Moreover, I loved the message carried throughout the story, that bad men can be anyone, no matter how kind or charismatic. No matter how familial. 5/5 stars read for me, and I d0n't give that out often. If you're a modern gothic horror fan, love watching horrible men suffer, and enjoy unique and non-linear storytelling and voice, read Dementia NOW!
January 1, 2026
I think the approach the author took to write this story all from the perspective of the main character was a good one. We learn about Walter (MC), his life, and the people around him from him, and I will say without spoiling the story for you, he calls it like he sees it, but (and this is one of the things that makes this an interesting read) he isn't a very reliable storyteller. This is especially true as the story progresses and Walter's reality morphs with the progression of his dementia.
I would not consider this a scary horror read, but more of a psychological horror/thriller. One that makes you think about the people you know, and what you really know about them. You only know what they show you, and in Walter's case, looks are deceiving. The author also touches on events in Walter's life that have shaped the man he became; events and truths he can no longer hide from.
If you don't mind reading a book that could use some additional editing, but has good bones, then I think you'll find this a worthy read.
In full transparency, I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I would not consider this a scary horror read, but more of a psychological horror/thriller. One that makes you think about the people you know, and what you really know about them. You only know what they show you, and in Walter's case, looks are deceiving. The author also touches on events in Walter's life that have shaped the man he became; events and truths he can no longer hide from.
If you don't mind reading a book that could use some additional editing, but has good bones, then I think you'll find this a worthy read.
In full transparency, I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 27, 2025
Dementia isn’t just a horror novel! it’s a punch to the chest wrapped in realism, fear, and the kind of darkness that feels uncomfortably close to home. Tara Hanson takes a subject rooted in real life and turns it into something brutally haunting, deeply human, and impossible to shake off.
What makes this book so powerful is its honesty. The horror doesn’t come from jump scares or supernatural monsters. it comes from the quiet unraveling of trust, memory, and safety. It’s a story about aging, about vulnerability, and about the terrible truth that evil doesn’t disappear with time… it grows old with us.
Hanson’s writing is raw, atmospheric, and immersive. The tension builds slowly, then hits with moments so chilling you have to put the book down and breathe. And knowing it’s based on true events? That’s what lingers. That’s what stays with you long after you finish.
If you love psychological horror, true-event–inspired dread, or stories that blur the line between reality and nightmare, Dementia is absolutely worth your time.
Disturbing, emotional, unforgettable.
What makes this book so powerful is its honesty. The horror doesn’t come from jump scares or supernatural monsters. it comes from the quiet unraveling of trust, memory, and safety. It’s a story about aging, about vulnerability, and about the terrible truth that evil doesn’t disappear with time… it grows old with us.
Hanson’s writing is raw, atmospheric, and immersive. The tension builds slowly, then hits with moments so chilling you have to put the book down and breathe. And knowing it’s based on true events? That’s what lingers. That’s what stays with you long after you finish.
If you love psychological horror, true-event–inspired dread, or stories that blur the line between reality and nightmare, Dementia is absolutely worth your time.
Disturbing, emotional, unforgettable.
August 27, 2025
I did not think this book would creep me out as much as it did! Reading Walter's story, it starts out by introducing him and his family. You get a feel for their dynamic and start to feel for them. As the book goes on, you start to realize that maybe Walter isn't the sweet grandpa you imagined. Walter is just a cover, a cover for something so dark that he commits acts of taboo. The author does so well with the descriptions in her writing, you can see it playing in your head, just like a movie. Reading Dementia, especially That epilogue, will have you second guessing every single, sweet, innocent looking, old person you see! I'm looking at my neighbor in a whole new light! But on more serious note, it really makes you wonder, who you've come In contact with, if they are hiding secrets, if they're actually good people.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 20, 2025
Sometimes when you think of horror books you think of the normal troupes that go along with it and this book was horror but it made you look at in a different light.
Walter is slowly going back to the past and also in the present with his disease as it slowly takes him over. You see him come and go and him at times not understand and understand at the same time. As we watch him crumble, we see what he is afraid of and what he needs to come to terms with and what he can not. This book will make you stop and think and it will also give you the chills while you reflect on what your life could become
I was given a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review
Walter is slowly going back to the past and also in the present with his disease as it slowly takes him over. You see him come and go and him at times not understand and understand at the same time. As we watch him crumble, we see what he is afraid of and what he needs to come to terms with and what he can not. This book will make you stop and think and it will also give you the chills while you reflect on what your life could become
I was given a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review
September 14, 2025
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this novel, but I was delighted by its unique approach to horror. This book is written in Appalachian dialect which lends the story such authenticity and its that authentic portrayal of the main character, Walter, that becomes the base of his character development. This is a slow burn that creeps up on you. We watch a man unraveling and coming face to face with his dark past. This book explores grief, legacy, and underscores the truth that people are rarely who they seem. Well done!
September 2, 2025
Giving some grace that this is a indie book with some slight formatting issues. The STORYTELLING was phenomenal. You really get inside the head of a true sociopath. Walter is a breeding ground of a mix of untreated mental illness. I read the whole book in two days. I hated to put it down. This book was gruesome, Emotional Manic and in the end unsettling!
I really haven't read a story like this in a long time.
This author has some true potential!
I really haven't read a story like this in a long time.
This author has some true potential!
August 23, 2025
what did i just read!? this story was absolutely amazing. scary, sad, emotional, horrifying. just when I thought I knew how things were going to go, nope, it took a turn, or more of a twist. a sick twist.
this story proves just how twisted an average everyday person can look on the outside, while being totally deranged on the inside.
this is a must read!
BRAVO!
this story proves just how twisted an average everyday person can look on the outside, while being totally deranged on the inside.
this is a must read!
BRAVO!
October 16, 2025
I loved this book so much! I spent the whole book back and forth like a ping pong ball of love and hate for Walter. He was man who struggled with demons but demons he himself created. I loved the emotions this book made me feel and highly recommend it everyone! I read it in a day and a half! Tara Hanson is a very talented author and I can’t wait to read her other works!
October 21, 2025
Creepy and quiet. The story takes its time, but once it gets going, it's hard to look away. Walter's world is strange and tense, and the writing adds to the unease.
There were moments that felt intentionally disorienting, which added to the
atmosphere. Overall, it gave me the kind of psychological horror I enjoy subtle, weird, and worth the read.
It’s a must read!
There were moments that felt intentionally disorienting, which added to the
atmosphere. Overall, it gave me the kind of psychological horror I enjoy subtle, weird, and worth the read.
It’s a must read!
December 9, 2025
This is the story or poor old Walter. Hes a vietnam veteran, lost his wife and only has one estranged son and lovong grandaughter as support. At first he appears as a wee soul with ailing health but as his memories start to haunt him we quickly learn hes an evil old sod! I felt the Dementia side was done so well and I work with sufferers daily.
August 28, 2025
This book wrecked me. It goes through the last few weeks of Walter King, a serial killer with dementia. It is upsetting, raw, emotional, and just downright evil. What this man went through, what he did is an atrocity. I loved it.
August 20, 2025
Phenomenal, this style is amazing. Really gives you an inside point of view into the madness of Walter. Also, IT TAKES SOME SHOCKING TURNS! Good READ!
October 21, 2025
This started off as slow burn that decents into madness in the best possible ways. A true Southern Gothic novel written by a true Southerner.
September 2, 2025
The author sent me this book to read and review. I was excited for it because it was so different from my usual reads. It is so psychologically thrilling and it’s written so well from the old man’s perspective I sometimes felt like I was sitting down with someone listening to their story instead of reading. If you like that sort of thing this book is definitely for you, and if you’re on the fence about it I would recommend trying it because it’s just a good book that gets the mind activated.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews