Michael Mizov is here to tell us about The Last Heir of Bradbury Manor, gothic psychological horror.
There's also a great giveaway.
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Michael Mizov will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
The Last Heir of Bradbury Manor is an atmospheric gothic horror novel of haunted inheritance, family curses, and the terrifying secrets buried beneath a crumbling Yorkshire estate.Lottie Bradbury has not set foot in Bradbury Manor for twelve years. Sent away as a child following her mother’s tragic death, she is summoned home in 1919 by the estranged father she barely knows. The once-great estate is failing, burdened by debt, decay, and generations of neglect. Her return comes with a price: an arranged marriage intended to save what remains of the Bradbury legacy.But Bradbury Manor is not merely old.At night, the house makes itself known. Strange sounds echo through the corridors. Rooms refuse to stay still. Moments slip out of place. The past refuses to remain buried.As Lottie is drawn deeper into her family’s history, she uncovers a pattern stretching back centuries, one marked by unexplained deaths, buried betrayals, and a curse that never truly ends. It simply passes from one generation to the next. Everyone expects her to take her place. To continue what came before.Caught between the expectations of her father, the promise of a future beyond the estate, and the growing realization that something is terribly wrong within Bradbury Manor, Lottie must decide how much of the truth she is willing to uncover and what it may cost her when she does. The closer she gets to the answers, the harder it becomes to tell whether she is exposing the darkness surrounding her family or being led deeper into it.Perfect for readers of Mexican Gothic, The Silent Companions, and Rebecca, The Last Heir of Bradbury Manor blends haunted houses, family secrets, supernatural mystery, psychological tension, and the enduring power of the past.
Read an Excerpt
She didn’t remember falling asleep, only waking to the creak of floorboards outside her door.
For a strange moment, she felt as though she had surfaced from deep water, everything out of focus, too loud, the world arriving a heartbeat later than it should. The curtains were drawn. No moonlight. True dark.
The rumbling of her stomach reminded her that dinner was promised, but the footsteps continued down the hall. Her father, perhaps, finally going to bed.
The footsteps stopped. Turned. Marched back to her door. Was he coming to check on her?
She waited.
No knock. No motion. Stillness. She waited until waiting felt worse than opening the door. Creeping toward it, she listened.
Silence.
Lottie opened it.
No one. The hallway stretched empty in both directions.
“Father?” she called into the hallway, so softly she could barely hear herself.
No reply. But she was certain someone had been standing outside. She told herself it was the wind. Or the floor settling. But she didn’t believe it. The hairs on her neck rose. She slammed the door harder than she meant to.
Footsteps approached the moment it shut. Clapping a hand over her mouth, she stifled a scream.
The silence was worse than the steps. Something on the other side was listening too. Backing away from the door, she bumped into a serving cart she hadn’t seen. The silver lid of a covered dish fell to the floor with a crash. The tea beside it was still steaming.
Heart pounding, she turned on the light. The clock read half past one.
Morning was a long way off. She wasn’t sure what frightened her more: that the hallway had been empty, or that it hadn’t.
About the Author
Michael writes dark fiction that explores psychological breakdowns, fractured identity, and the strange absurdities of life. When not writing, he works in B2B marketing, renovates a possibly haunted Victorian house, and wrangles twin daughters with his wife in New Jersey.
Accolades:
2025 Top 100: Cheshire Novel Prize National Flash Fiction Day 2025: FlashFlood: Debut Flash: 'Nobody's Home' by Michael Mizov Festivals: Michael Mizov - Awards - IMDb
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Thanks, Tina, for taking the time to feature Bradbury Manor. One of the things I love most about Gothic horror is that it can be about much more than the supernatural. The novel also explores inheritance, class, family obligation, grief, and the limited choices available to a young woman in the aftermath of the First World War.
ReplyDeleteI also wanted the manor itself to feel like more than a backdrop. A lot of the tension comes from the sense that the house has been holding onto the family’s history for a very long time, and that Lottie is stepping back into something that was already in motion before she returned home. That was probably the most fun part for me to write.
Happy to answer any other questions