I would find it much harder to write if I didn't like my main character. I can truly emphasize with what he goes through. He is never officially assigned to solve murders. He gets little credit when he does. But when he finds himself caught up in the investigation, he is driven to get to the truth, even if it means risking his career.
Formula dictates that a body be found in the first fifty pages.
My bodies usually don't appear until halfway through the book. I like to introduce all the characters, watch them interacting before one of them meets his maker. That way the reader has a basis for working out motive. I just want to tell a darned good story. If I can come up with some clever plot twists and a true surprise ending, then that is great.