A number of readers have asked me to write about the reasons I pick one method rather than another to kill my victims. For a start, I must confess that I prefer my murders not too messy. The messiest one was in The Bloody Tower , and Daisy closed her eyes before it got too horrible. Considering the setting, close to the spot where Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, and many others lost their heads (literally), a bloody death could hardly be avoided. The method of murder is quite often suggested by the setting. What better to cover the sound of a gunshot than a Guy Fawkes party, with fireworks exploding at irregular and unexpected intervals? And at an ancient manor house with ancient weapons decorating the walls, a stab in the back with a dagger is an ever-present danger. If you find yourself in the Natural History Museum, a primitive flint spear can do the job just as well, though with less finesse. One prime consideration in choosing how to commit murder is what means I have used ...