A sensitive loner on the run from his past. A rebellious young heiress with a death wish. A bridge brings them together … a mystery can tear them apart. Following a life-shattering accident, conscience-stricken Will Archer seeks refuge in a small Ohio River town, where he plans to live out his life as a virtual hermit. But a chance encounter with Essence Warner, orphaned daughter of a jazz saxophonist and an aristocratic socialite, entangles him in a quest to discover the truth behind the cold case of her parents’ mysterious deaths. As Will deciphers clues, he becomes romantically entwined with Essence, forming a relationship that draws him into a sordid underbelly of small-town existence that threatens his own life. At the same time, he uncovers a dark secret that could set Essence free from her own path of self-destruction—or does she have a plan of her own? Soft as Water is a novel about bridges—between strangers across a river—and the dangers of mutual attraction when worlds divided by race, wealth, and culture collide. In the end, though, the novel offers a glimmer of hopefulness that survivors of trauma—physical, emotional, and sexual—can transcend their circumstances and find redemption through connection. Katherine H. Burkman, Professor Emeritus at The Ohio State University and author of the mystery April Cruel writes: " Soft as Water is beautifully written and almost impossible to put down. Its hero, or central character, feels lost because he is responsible for the death of a mother and child in a car accident. His desire to save a woman to whom he is deeply attracted, symbolically named Essence, from suicide is truly a desire to save himself. Because he is not just in danger from himself, but also in danger from those around him and those at home to which he returns, the book truly is an intense experience." FINALIST - SUSPENSE GENRE 18th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards "Your book embodies the standards of excellence that this award was created to celebrate. We salute your talents and our jurors truly respect each of the final works that are honored this year." - NIEA "A riveting thriller! With evocative prose and palpable empathy for his wounded characters, Conklin hits all the right notes." - Publishers Weekly "Author B. Robert Conklin possesses a rather unique writing style that subtly draws the reader into the story. His subject matter tends to be rather eclectic and packed with surprises. His latest novel, Soft as Water , delivers a powerful message about second chances." - Amy Wilson, Novels Alive "An original and compassionate look at guilt and remorse. This one will haunt you!" - Elaine Graham-Leigh, Reedsy Discovery "There is a weirdness at the heart of this remarkable book but you don't mind. It's a rather beautiful and magical weirdness and I honestly wondered if I was dreaming for the first few chapters." - Fiona Forsyth, Author, Poetic Justice "Beautifully written and almost impossible to put down. The book truly is an intense experience." - Katherine H. Burkman, Author, April Cruel "This is a beautiful novel (and I don't mean all that happens in it is beautiful, far from it); the writing is a joy; the characters are intriguing, interesting, complex and also easy to relate to; and the plot has very realistic elements in combination with others that wouldn't be out of place in a fable or a fairy tale. Oh, and there are ghosts and afterlife experiences. If any of that sounds like something you want to read, do yourself a favour and go for it. It is not an experience you'll easily forget." - Olga Núñez Miret, #TuesdayBookBlog, Rosie's Book Team Review "Pulled me in so quickly that I couldn't stop reading it. ... The roller-coaster of emotions in this story made it easy to get caught up in the pain, remorse, love, revenge, and suspense, and it carried me through from beginning to end. ... This is definitely one of the books that have made it onto the list of novels that I read over and over again." - Amy Raines, Readers' Favorite "Absolutely loved reading this book! Intriguing and a page turner!" - Peggy's Reviews, Sandra's Book Club "A story that is not likely to be like one you've read before. At least it was stretching my normal reading material. In spite of this, I didn't find myself unable to suspend disbelief and go along with what was happening. A very entertaining read." - Big Al, "Books and Pals" Book Blog "Overall, I enjoyed this story. It is a deceivingly complex tale about repercussions for past actions of both self and family. Examining past mistakes and the possibility of redemption also provide a consistent thread throughout the story. ... The ending wraps everything up nicely with no loose ends. It felt like a complete and well thought-out ending and left me satisfied with the resolution of the story." - Heather L. Barksdale, Heather's Bookshelf "All the ingredients for an unusual off-beat story!" - Julie, Whispering Stories B. R