Who should live and who should die?

As I read fantasy novels, I find that my mind is divided between enjoying the stories and looking at the craft of the authors. One fascinating thing that I always consider is who the author chooses to kill during their stories and why. I personally have a real problem with an author who kills someone for effect without moving the story forward. For example, I've read stories where it is apparent to me that the author is trying to manipulate my emotions for no greater purpose than to see if they can do it. The effect of the death within the story is minimal. It doesn't advance the story one bit.

The author I'm thinking of as I write this is Katherine Kurtz. She tells an amazingly detailed tale in her Deryni stories. I love the way that she makes her characters come to life. But at the same time, many of the deaths that she throws the reader's way to me seem contrived. Now I know that Zan will disagree with me but he is out of town today as I write this so I get to have my say without him. Yippee!

Seriously though, I have a hard time reading her novels because I do feel manipulated. When a reader invests a lot into a character, if their death does not serve a greater purpose or at least move the story forward then it feels contrived.