Karrin Murphy's home

Murphy's home is where Karrin Murphy lives. She inherited it from Grandma Murphy after she died.

History in Series
In Summer Knight (novel), Harry goes to Murphy's place to ask her help getting information to solve Mab's case (that the White Council pressured him into taking). Murphy makes Harry cross the threshold to prove he's him and not an imposter demon like the one last year, Kravos, that disguised itself as Harry, in Grave Peril.

In Summer Knight (novel), Murphy had been drinking and looking at wedding photos of her first marriage when she was age seventeen. Harry told her his story about Elaine to get Karrin to talk to him. An obituary page from the Tribune, says her first husband Gregory Taggart, died of cancer, and he never let her know he was sick. Plus, she's having night terrors about what Kravos, did to her. There wasn't anything she could do to stop it and that's what scares her.

In Dead Beat, Karrin Murphy gave the keys to her apartment to Harry Dresden to water the plants while she went on vacation to Hawaii with Kincaid. Harry, Thomas and Waldo Butters use her apartment as a refuge from Necromancers.

In Small Favor, Murphy's place is flooded with Wardens: four in the livingroom, two in he kitchen, two outside under veils. Luccio talks to Harry about Ivy. She's worried that Harry is too affectionate with her.

In Ghost Story, Harry's ghost gets Mortimer Lindquist to go to Murphy's house to help him communicate with her. Harry and Sir Stuart watch over a meeting of the Chicago Alliance. Felicia crosses Murphy's threshold without an invitation—which cripples her ability to draw on their Hunger.

Description
Summer Knight (novel) : Murphy's house is in a neighborhood called Bucktown. It's a tiny place surrounded by a neat littly lawn. Murphy owns it since her grandmother left it to her. The door was made of re-inforced steel, like Harry's. The house has a heavy field around it—a strong threshold—it had a life of its own with a history. It was a home not just a place to live. Inside, the livingroom was decorated in soft greens and yellows, and lots of ruffles on the curtains and the couch. There were beautiful old doilies everywhere that looked well cared for. And on the end table was Murphy's gun cleaning kit and holster. Over the fireplace where two Japanese swords, one long and one short.

Dead Beat: Murphy's house belonged to her grandmother. It was a dinky little place, and resided in a neighborhood built before Edison's lights. Harry describes it as really cute, the furniture as Victorian, worn but well cared for, and with lots of doilies decorating the place. Over the mantel was a pair of curved Japanese swords, the only Murphy-like concession to the decorating scheme.

Harry explains to Waldo Butters what a threshold is and how Murphy's home has a strong one. A home has to have history, family, emotions worked into the wood. Murphy's clan had that home for better than a hundred years and lived in for everyon one of them. The threshold is solid and would keep out the Erlking.

Ghost Story: Murphy's house is a compact colonial, single story, square, solid and neat. There's flower garden with enough flowers for a much bigger house, also her grandmother's. Karrin hires a service. Karrin upgraded it with vinyl siding, new windows, and modern insulation. It looked like it could last another hundred years easily. The House has been heavily warded.

External References

 * Wicker Park / Bucktown - A Chicago Neighborhood Guide


 * Neighborhood History