- This article is for the policewoman. For her home, see Karrin Murphy's home. For other uses, see Murphy.
Karrin Murphy, sometimes called Karrie, and very rarely Mini Mouse,[1] is a human female, and a former member of the Chicago Police Department's Special Investigations division. She first appears in Storm Front.
Description
That’s my Murphy, manufacturing her own damned silver lining when the clouds didn’t cough one up.— Harry Dresden[2]
Karrin Murphy is the oldest child of Marion and Collin Murphy. She has at least two brothers and one sister, Lisa.[3] She is short-statured, blonde and blue-eyed.[4][5] She likes coffee with no cream and two sugars.[4]
Collin Murphy was a senior detective in the Chicago PD and an investigator in the Black Cat Department, covering the same territory as the modern-day S.I. department. He committed suicide when Karrin was 11.[3]
She owns a house in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago; a small house left to her by her grandmother.[6][7]
Murphy is a nominal Catholic, as is her family.[8] Her father's nickname for her was Karrie, and the only other person to call her that is Henry Rawlins, who Collin Murphy saved once from a demon with a shotgun loaded with rock salt.[9][10]
After Harry Dresden died, she has become far more paranoid.[11] Murphy is listed as executor on Dresden's bank lock box, and is entrusted with seeing to the care of his daughter.[12]
She's one of the few people privy to Thomas Raith being Dresden's half-brother[13] and Margaret Angelica being his daughter.[14] She is also aware that he suspects the existence of a Black Council.[15]
Relationships
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Early relationships
In Summer Knight, it comes out that when she was seventeen years old, she married Gregory Taggart, who Harry Dresden estimates to be about a decade older. Some time later, Taggart left her; they tried to reconcile a few times, but it always ended in fighting.[6]
Her ex-husband died, 43 years old, at night, after a long fight against cancer. He had not told her about his illness, and she was devastated when learning of his death by discovering his obituary in the Tribune newspaper. She regretted not having been able to say good-bye.[6]
In Blood Rites, Murphy reveals that she had been married to Rich at some point, but were divorced. He felt she was ignoring him for her job; she thought he wanted her to stay at home so she wouldn't make him look bad at work and was using the excuse of wanting to have kids as a rationalization. Murphy flips when she finds out that Rich is engaged to marry her kid sister, Lisa Murphy. Rich is a police detective in New Orleans and is getting transferred to the Chicago FBI to be near Lisa and her family.[3]
In Proven Guilty, Rich (now called Rick) is an FBI agent called in to assist the Homicide Department in the SplatterCon!!! case by Detective Greene and aids him in questioning Molly Carpenter. Murphy intercedes. She does not get along with her ex-husband.[16]
Jared Kincaid
In Dead Beat, Karrin Murphy went on a sex-loaded vacation to Hawaii with Jared Kincaid, making Harry Dresden quite jealous. Though Murphy appears only briefly in the book, Dresden's actions are prompted by his desire to protect her from blackmail.[17]
In Small Favor, Murphy is very distraught over how badly wounded Kincaid is after engaging the Denarians at the Shedd Aquarium.[13] Later, she says it hurt to see him that way, but she is not sure how involved she is. She thinks it's stupid to get hung up on him since he's not interested in getting serious. Dresden believes it's that Murphy's detachment from Kincaid that keeps her able to be close to him.[18] At the end, Murphy has an odd look on her face as she watched Kincaid, wounded but looking rather paternal, crawl in next to the wounded Ivy, with his Glock.[19]
Her relationship with Kincaid is disrupted by her burgeoning romantic feelings towards Dresden.[19]
Harry Dresden
My world would be a scarier place without you in it.— Murphy to Harry Dresden[20]
In Proven Guilty, Murphy admits to being attracted to Harry Dresden, but is unwilling to act on it. First, she doesn't want to ruin their friendship and working relationship.[21] Second, she worries about their difference in lifespans: as a wizard, Dresden will live for centuries, and she wants someone who can grow old and raise a family with her.[16]
In White Night, Dresden remarks to Lara Raith that Murphy doesn't want to get serious with him. Raith responds that he doesn't want to be casual with her - before remarking that his lack of relations is respectful, but sad.[22]
In Small Favor, Murphy informs Dresden that she does not think Anastasia Luccio is right for him.[19]
In Changes, Murphy mentions her plans to have mindless sex with the nearest reasonably healthy male, and Dresden offers his company. While he's waiting for her to arrive, he's shot through the chest.[23]
In Cold Days, she accepts that Dresden hasn't died, but does not want to entrust the Swords Amoracchius and Fidelacchius, or Bob, to him. She is however unwilling to leave him alone.[24][25]
In Skin Game, she admits as being in love with Dresden and being prepared to do crazy things because of it, such as challenging Nicodemus Archleone in his face and losing out,[26][27] allowing her to lay the foundation of a potential future relationship with him.[28]
Freydis Gard
Huh. I’d officially seen everything now. Murphy asking for a rescue. From monsters and madmen, she’d never cried uncle.
It had taken a redhead.— Harry Dresden[29]
Although Murphy never accepted any of Freydis' advances, Freydis became quite infatuated with Murphy over the course of Peace Talks, offering numerous times to sleep with Murphy, and with Dresden if they wanted.[29] Even when Murphy held grenades to both their heads, preparing to kill them both, Freydis responded with "Gods, that's hot" before fleeing.[30]
Career
Murphy should be a novelist, she writes so much fiction.— Harry Dresden, on Murphy’s role in Special Investigations[31]
Whenever something inexplicable happens that the Chicago Police Department must handle, they send it over to Special Investigations. Conveniently, this is also where they tend to transfer out-of-favor officers. Murphy, however, took the assignment so seriously that she hired a wizard as a consultant, much to her coworkers' consternation. She uses Harry Dresden as a walking supernatural library.[32]
In Proven Guilty, Karrin Murphy is demoted to the rank of Detective Sergeant, after leaving the scene of the crime for 24 hours while she was on duty. She is now partnered with Henry Rawlins,[33] who knew Murphy's father.
In Changes, she loses her job with the CPD altogether, thanks in large part to Rudolph.[23]
In Ghost Story, after Dresden's death, she leads the Chicago Alliance against various supernatural threats.[34][35]
Abilities
In Blood Rites, Murphy works out with the other cops in her department at Dough Joe's Gym. She takes down brawny double-attackers in a blink.[36]
In Turn Coat, she is also a competition shooter. Harry Dresden saw her double-tap (like a pro-killer) two supernatural perps in the head in one smooth move in a "single pulsing hammer of sound".[37]
Weapons
- FN P-90 — 5.7x28mm bullpup pattern, personal defense weapon, with a top loading 50 round clear plastic[38][39] and a suppressor.[40] Murphy names the weapon "George".[25]
- A pair of Japanese swords over the mantle.[6][7]
- SIG Sauer semiautomatic pistol.[41]
- .22 competitive shooting pistols.[42]
- AT4 rocket launcher.[43]
- Kriss Vector submachine gun.[44]
Sight
Harry Dresden and Karrin Murphy by Anie Miles
Harry Dresden first Sees her in Grave Peril, when attempting to cure Micky Malone.
He Sees her as she enters the room:
The door burst open. Murphy came through it, her eyes living flames of azure blue, her hair a golden coronet around her. She held a blazing sword in her hand and she shone so bright and beautiful and terrifying in her anger that it was hard to see. The Sight, I realized, dimly. I was seeing her for who she was.— Dresden[45]
Dresden Sees her again in Blood Rites, and she appears as an angel, her eyes were "azure flame", she bore a fiery shaft in her hands. Her robes had become smudged with filth, blood, and smoke. She bled from several wounds and moved like she was in terrible pain.[46]
Dresden gazes on Murphy for the third time in Proven Guilty at Mercy Hospital. She appears similar to the previous instance, clearer than normal with her eyes flashing. She wears a "quasi angelic tunic of white, stained in places with the blood and mud of battle". A short sword with a blade made of bright, white light hangs beneath her arm in place of her sidearm.[47]
Fidelacchius
In Small Favor, under the Denarian Deirdre Archleone's attack, she partially drew the sword Fidelacchius from its scabbard on Harry Dresden's shoulder. Brilliant white light shone from it, scaring Archleone off. Dresden stated he believed that to be a job offer, Murphy countering she already has one.[48] Later she asks Dresden more about it but still declined, as she has already sworn an oath to protect Chicago.[19]
In Changes, Dresden entrusts her with Fidelacchius for the mission to save Maggie.[49] She joins Dresden's team to Chichén Itzá.[50] When she wields Fidelacchius, she screams a cry of defiance against the Lords of Outer Night, however it is not her speaking the words, but someone else speaking through her. As she slashes the sword, the will of the Red King over Dresden's group is broken.[51]
In Ghost Story, Murphy acts as custodian to both Fidelacchius and Amoracchius and fiercely defends them against Felicia Raith of the White Court.[34]
In Cold Days, Murphy refuses to return the Swords to Dresden while he's the Winter Knight.[24]
In the series
- Main article: Karrin Murphy/In the series
Under Harry Dresden's tutelage, she becomes more and more aware of the supernatural side of Chicago and of its dangers, leading to her demotion to sergeant,[33] and her leaving the CPD.[40]
References
- ↑ White Night, ch. 1
- ↑ Small Favor, ch. 35
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Blood Rites, ch. 28
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Storm Front, ch. 2
- ↑ Fool Moon, ch. 1
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Summer Knight, ch. 7
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Dead Beat, ch. 24
- ↑ Blood Rites, ch. 11
- ↑ Ghost Story, ch. 2
- ↑ Dead Beat, ch. 13
- ↑ Changes, ch. 18
- ↑ Changes, ch. 34
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Blood Rites, ch. 34
- ↑ Changes, ch. 5
- ↑ Turn Coat, ch. 49
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Proven Guilty, ch. 22
- ↑ Dead Beat, ch. 1
- ↑ Blood Rites, ch. 36
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 Small Favor, ch. 46
- ↑ Turn Coat, ch. 35
- ↑ Proven Guilty, ch.14
- ↑ White Night, ch. 42
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Changes, ch. 49
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Cold Days, ch. 27
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Cold Days, ch. 40
- ↑ Skin Game, ch. 29
- ↑ Skin Game, ch. 30
- ↑ Skin Game, ch. 51
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 Peace Talks, ch. 24
- ↑ Peace Talks, ch. 35
- ↑ White Night, ch. 32
- ↑ Storm Front, ch. 1
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 Proven Guilty, ch. 47
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 Ghost Story, ch. 9
- ↑ Ghost Story, ch. 18
- ↑ Blood Rites, ch. 06
- ↑ Turn Coat, ch. 17
- ↑ White Night, ch. 39
- ↑ White Night, ch. 43
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 Aftermath
- ↑ Turn Coat, ch. 18
- ↑ Fool Moon, ch. 18
- ↑ Skin Game, ch. 13
- ↑ Skin Game, ch. 23
- ↑ Grave Peril, ch. 13
- ↑ Blood Rites, ch. 31
- ↑ Proven Guilty, ch. 16
- ↑ Small Favor, ch. 45
- ↑ Changes, ch. 39
- ↑ Changes, ch. 40
- ↑ Changes, ch. 46
See also
- Connie Murphy, her counterpart in the television series
- Ron Carmichael
- John Stallings
- O'Toole
- Ordo Lebes