Even so, in all the arts, literature in particular, death and the prospect of death, and the process of dying, are subjects which are recurrent themes. Just like describing the birth of a child, the movement of the seasons, the passage of time, the falling in and out of love, a spiritual awakening or renewal, the approach or fear of death provides a theme of classical unity and grandeur.

But outside the arts death is a personal tragedy. The death of someone close to us is always a shock, even after a long illness has been endured, or the deceased passed away after reaching a great age. It is a cause of inconsolable upset and a feeling of helpless loss. For the person who dies it is an entry into the fathomless oblivion from which there is no return, no reporting. Death is a mystery solved by everyone, but only once and always too late – the experience cannot be described, so we cannot therefore learn about it from others. Some deaths are harder than others for the survivors to bear: the death of a child, of a new lover, of a close parent, of a brother or sister.

Sometimes, when we hear of the death of a stranger, occurring in peculiar or unusual circumstances or as a result of violent action or an avoidable accident, we are moved to the same sense of dismay and loss, even though all we are told about it is the terrible context. We know nothing of the person. The human condition ensures that we identify not only with the one who has died but with the people he or she was closest to.

All this is because we know our own deaths are inevitable and final. We do not know when death will strike. We live our lives in expectation.

Descending to the practical: a writer of thrillers deals with death on an almost daily basis. Most crime novels include at least one death, and in many cases that will occur close to the beginning of the narrative. The rest of the writer’s work is therefore with the consequences. How was the murder actually carried out? Who did it? Why? Was it really a murder or only an accident?

Some novels include several killings.

In the classic mystery a body is discovered: in the library, in the garden, in the drawing room, in the cellar, in bed, in some improbable place in inexplicable circumstances. For the writer and reader this is the start of the mystery, and is essentially a mere plot device. The story becomes concerned with what is not clear about the death: the motive, opportunity, money, property, relationships, grievances, jealousy, secret dealings, legacies, and with the investigation, the police procedure, the role of the detective, the identity of the killer. We find out about these as the story develops.