Karrin Murphy
Encyclopedia
Karrin Murphy is a major character in Jim Butcher
's contemporary fantasy
series, The Dresden Files
. The character also appears as Connie Murphy in the television series
based on the novels.
, which handles cases in which something unexplainable or supernatural is involved. Traditionally SI has been a dumping ground for officers who have made mistakes, and frequently SI officers leave the force. The commander, in particular, usually only lasts a few months. Karrin Murphy is introduced in the first Dresden novel as the Lieutenant of the Division, kicked there for asking too many questions, but too connected to be drummed out of the force.
Murphy commands SI for several years (through Proven Guilty), in part because she was not afraid to deal with the supernatural, going so far as to hire the only wizard in the phone book: Harry Dresden
. Although her demotion to Sergeant is unfair, she does undertake actions that would have her removed from the force all together. She lies on her police reports routinely (saying that she feels that she writes fiction). Instead of simply omitting unprovable, supernatural events, she invents crimes that believably suit the evidence. Her favorite tactic is inventing terrorists and bombs that do not exist, since her higher-ups find such things desirable.
Murphy has an extremely difficult decision in regards to her duties as a policewoman. On the one hand, she is a duly appointed law enforcement officer, charged with the protection of the public from human crime, who takes withholding evidence and information extremely seriously when it is in pursuit of her job and duties. On the other hand, she has become one of the 'clued-in' as of Summer Knight, and realizes that the information that was concealed from her was for her own protection, and that of the public at large. Her choice is to do her job properly and truthfully, and ignore the supernatural community, or to involve in vigilante work against supernatural creatures she decides are acting against the public interest. Thus, to perform both her duties as a police officer, and her greater self appointed duty to protect the public, she is often forced to engage in activities outside the scope of a law enforcement officer's proper purview. For instance, while she would no more brutalize a standard suspect in a questioning room then any other officer, she did so to Binder, a human with knowledge of summoning, knowing that a) he'd never speak with a lawyer, b) it was going to be impossible (and extremely dangerous to her fellow officers) to keep him incarcerated with his abilities, and c) it was a great distraction for what was really going on. Murphy has come to realize that standard human laws and protocols, and the bureaucracy that goes with them, are completely incapable of dealing with the true reality of things (a decision confirmed by the slaughter during the jailbreak of the loup-garou she incarcerated in Fool Moon
), and in her self-appointed pursuit of protecting and 'policing' the supernatural community, she is willing to let slide violations of the law that she would not tolerate during mundane duties; as the creatures she is facing have no belief or respect for human law, she also disregards it. As a result, Murphy has taken upon herself the distasteful job of using highly questionable tactics against creatures nobody wants to believe exist, and taking actions outside the scope of law enforcement boundaries to protect the people of Chicago, without their knowledge.
In the fourth book we find that Murphy is divorced, and that her husband, also a policeman, left her because he felt like she was ignoring him for her job. He is now married to her younger sister. This was her second marriage; the first one was short-lived and occurred before Murphy had graduated from high school.
Murphy is a devout Catholic, despite the two divorces.
The events of Storm Front and Fool Moon cause Murphy to distrust Harry, and she reacts in a hostile and violent manner when she suspects he had a hand in the victims' deaths. She also takes action against Harry when she thinks he is keeping information from her because of his other commitments, such as to the White Council. In both books she physically assaults him and attempts to arrest him. However, the events of Grave Peril and Summer Knight lead her to put more trust in him, and she becomes one of his closest friends once he takes the plunge and 'clues her in' to the true reality and nature of things.
She admits to some romantic attraction to Harry as well, but is unwilling to act on it for several reasons. Firstly, she worries about complicating or ruining their friendship and working relationship. She also worries about their difference in lifespans: as a wizard, Harry will live for centuries, and she wants someone who can grow old with her and raise a family.
Karrin is the oldest child of Collin and Marion Murphy, and she is somewhere in her early thirties at the time of Storm Front. She has at least two brothers and at least one sister, who are seen in Blood Rites. In Blood Rites, Harry learns that before her father's suicide, when Karrin was 11, Collin Murphy was a senior detective in the Chicago PD and a "black cat" investigator, covering the same territory as the modern-day S.I. department.
After the events of Proven Guilty, Murphy is demoted to sergeant and replaced by co-worker Detective Sergeant John Stallings, Murphy's partner. This is a major blow to Murphy, but due to Stallings' respect for Dresden it does not significantly impact events in the series.
The first meeting of Karrin and Dresden is mentioned in "Restoration of Faith", a short story chronicling Harry's life before The Dresden Files as a private eye for Ragged Angel Investigations.
During the events of Small Favor, Karrin briefly comes into possession of Fidelacchius, one of the swords wielded by the Knights of the Cross. She is able to make use of its power to defend Harry from a Denarian, in what Harry calls a "job offer." Karrin, however, declines to become the sword's new bearer because she has already sworn an oath to protect Chicago, and it remains in Harry's care. It appears the Dresdenverse God is quite in favor of how she approaches her job.
Over the course of Small Favor she confesses that her sexual friendship with Kincaid, the Hellhound, is being disrupted by her romantic feelings for him, and she attracts the interest of the holy knight Sanya who calls her "tiny, but fierce," though he could have simply been considering persuading her to become the third Knight of the Cross. She also confesses to some job frustration, knowing that her demotion will never be reversed and she won't be in a position to command again, due to her discredited standing in the force.
During the final battle in Changes she again comes into possession of Fidelacchius. After the events of Changes she expects to "retire" from the Chicago PD. Harry again asks her to become a Knight of the Cross, an offer she deferred judgement on saying she "had rebound boyfriends. Not interested in a rebound career".
In the novella "Aftermath" (told from Murphy's point of view) she returns to meet with Harry (approximately 45 minutes after "Changes") on the "Water Beetle" but only finds a blood spattered boat and Harry nowhere to be found. She finds herself fired from the police force and is approached by the Alpha werewolf Will Borden to help find his wife Georgia, who is 7 months pregnant. Georgia, along with many other "low-level talents", have been taken by the Fomor. Marcon's supernatural bodyguard Gard reveals that this is not only happening in Chicago, but all over the world. This is most likely occurring as a result of the extinction of the Red Court, as the Formor (and other supernatural organizations) try to fill the power void. Murph, Will and the returning Marci find themselves face to face with a number of Fomor in the rescue attempt of Georgia and the others. Before the fight she considers going back for "Fidelacchius", but reasons it's not the sword, but the person behind the sword that matters most.
In Ghost Story
, Murphy expands on the protective role she embarks on in "Aftermath". Accepting grudging assistance from Gard and Marcone, she establishes a base of operations on the site of Dresden's former residence and organizes several of Dresden's mundane resources to deal with the problems caused by the power vacuum left following the destruction of the Red Court. Once news of Dresden's absence got out, supernatural beings began to prey on the mundane world, and in particular, Chicago. It is clear that she still detests Marcone and resists accepting his interference in day to day operations, but Murphy has become a harder character and learned to face threats that normally Harry would have dealt with using the resources she has available.
Murphy has organized a team consisting of Will, Georgia and the Alphas, Butters, the ParaNet, and Daniel and Molly Carpenter to hold off the forces that now feel free to invade what was once under Harry Dresden's protection. After being in denial of Harry's death finally comes to realization after Mort confirms that it was in fact Harry's ghost, and knew she didn't want to believe the truth which meant Harry really is gone.
Her most significant asset, however, has proven to be her extensive martial arts ability, as she has been practicing aikido since she was about four years old and has practiced martial arts in general every day since she was seventeen. While she does not consider herself a truly advanced student, she has studied Aikido, Wing Chun, Jujitsu, Kali, Savate, Krav Maga, Tae Kwan Do, Judo, boxing, and Shaolin Kung Fu. She can thrash all of the cops on the force, beat the snot out of Harry with little effort, and throw around people and beings much bigger and stronger than she is, in more than one case having brought Hendricks to his knees with simple wrist or finger locks. She is also Harry's instructor in staff combat. She keeps herself in excellent physical condition via running, working out and regular martial arts bouts. So far, the only person in the series who is probably a more skilled infighter than Murphy is The Hellhound, who admittedly has several hundred years experience on her and partial demonic abilities.
Recent developments show her a capable swordswoman, wielding Fidelacchius in Changes
during the final battle against the Red Court.
TV adaptation
co-starred Valerie Cruz
as the Lt. Murphy. The character's name was changed to "Connie," short for Constanza (as remarked on by Harry in the episode "Rules of Engagement"), in order to avoid confusion with an actual officer in the Chicago Police Department
named Karyn Murphy.
Although Murphy is described in the novels as being short-statured, blonde, and blue-eyed, the character as portrayed by Cruz is brunette and dark eyed in appearance. Cruz originally tried out for the part of Susan Rodriguez, but was cast as Murphy based on her ability to effectively portray the character's personality in spite of the difference in appearance. In the series, Murphy works with Detective Sid Kirmani, and appears to be a member of the Department's ordinary homicide unit, as Special Investigations is not mentioned. In "Birds of a Feather," she talks with Sheryl Sharp about her divorce, and indicates that she has a nine-year-old daughter named Anna who lives with her father, whereas in the novels she has no children from either of her marriages.
Jim Butcher
Jim Butcher is a New York Times Best Selling author most known for his contemporary fantasy book series The Dresden Files. He also wrote the Codex Alera series. Butcher grew up as the only son of his parents, and has two older sisters. He currently lives in Independence with his wife, Shannon K...
's contemporary fantasy
Contemporary fantasy
Contemporary fantasy, also known as modern fantasy or indigenous fantasy, is a sub-genre of fantasy, set in the present day. It is perhaps most popular for its sub-genre, urban fantasy.-Definition and overview:...
series, The Dresden Files
The Dresden Files
The Dresden Files is a series of contemporary fantasy/mystery novels written by Jim Butcher.He provides a first person narrative of each story from the point of view of the main character, private investigator and wizard Harry Dresden, as he recounts investigations into supernatural disturbances in...
. The character also appears as Connie Murphy in the television series
The Dresden Files (TV series)
The Dresden Files is an American television series based on the books by Jim Butcher. It premiered January 21, 2007 on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States and on Space in Canada. It was picked up by Sky One in the UK and began airing on February 14, 2007.The series ran for a single season of...
based on the novels.
Background
Karrin Murphy is a cop who works within the Special Investigations (SI) division of the Chicago Police DepartmentChicago Police Department
The Chicago Police Department, also known as the CPD, is the principal law enforcement agency of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States, under the jurisdiction of the Mayor of Chicago. It is the largest police department in the Midwest and the second largest local law enforcement agency in the...
, which handles cases in which something unexplainable or supernatural is involved. Traditionally SI has been a dumping ground for officers who have made mistakes, and frequently SI officers leave the force. The commander, in particular, usually only lasts a few months. Karrin Murphy is introduced in the first Dresden novel as the Lieutenant of the Division, kicked there for asking too many questions, but too connected to be drummed out of the force.
Murphy commands SI for several years (through Proven Guilty), in part because she was not afraid to deal with the supernatural, going so far as to hire the only wizard in the phone book: Harry Dresden
Harry Dresden
Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a fictional detective and wizard. He was created by Jim Butcher and is the protagonist of the contemporary fantasy series The Dresden Files. The series blends magic and hardboiled detective fiction...
. Although her demotion to Sergeant is unfair, she does undertake actions that would have her removed from the force all together. She lies on her police reports routinely (saying that she feels that she writes fiction). Instead of simply omitting unprovable, supernatural events, she invents crimes that believably suit the evidence. Her favorite tactic is inventing terrorists and bombs that do not exist, since her higher-ups find such things desirable.
Murphy has an extremely difficult decision in regards to her duties as a policewoman. On the one hand, she is a duly appointed law enforcement officer, charged with the protection of the public from human crime, who takes withholding evidence and information extremely seriously when it is in pursuit of her job and duties. On the other hand, she has become one of the 'clued-in' as of Summer Knight, and realizes that the information that was concealed from her was for her own protection, and that of the public at large. Her choice is to do her job properly and truthfully, and ignore the supernatural community, or to involve in vigilante work against supernatural creatures she decides are acting against the public interest. Thus, to perform both her duties as a police officer, and her greater self appointed duty to protect the public, she is often forced to engage in activities outside the scope of a law enforcement officer's proper purview. For instance, while she would no more brutalize a standard suspect in a questioning room then any other officer, she did so to Binder, a human with knowledge of summoning, knowing that a) he'd never speak with a lawyer, b) it was going to be impossible (and extremely dangerous to her fellow officers) to keep him incarcerated with his abilities, and c) it was a great distraction for what was really going on. Murphy has come to realize that standard human laws and protocols, and the bureaucracy that goes with them, are completely incapable of dealing with the true reality of things (a decision confirmed by the slaughter during the jailbreak of the loup-garou she incarcerated in Fool Moon
Fool Moon (novel)
Fool Moon is a 2001 contemporary fantasy novel by author Jim Butcher. It is the second novel in The Dresden Files, which follows the character of Harry Dresden, present-day Chicago's only professional wizard.-Plot:...
), and in her self-appointed pursuit of protecting and 'policing' the supernatural community, she is willing to let slide violations of the law that she would not tolerate during mundane duties; as the creatures she is facing have no belief or respect for human law, she also disregards it. As a result, Murphy has taken upon herself the distasteful job of using highly questionable tactics against creatures nobody wants to believe exist, and taking actions outside the scope of law enforcement boundaries to protect the people of Chicago, without their knowledge.
In the fourth book we find that Murphy is divorced, and that her husband, also a policeman, left her because he felt like she was ignoring him for her job. He is now married to her younger sister. This was her second marriage; the first one was short-lived and occurred before Murphy had graduated from high school.
Murphy is a devout Catholic, despite the two divorces.
The events of Storm Front and Fool Moon cause Murphy to distrust Harry, and she reacts in a hostile and violent manner when she suspects he had a hand in the victims' deaths. She also takes action against Harry when she thinks he is keeping information from her because of his other commitments, such as to the White Council. In both books she physically assaults him and attempts to arrest him. However, the events of Grave Peril and Summer Knight lead her to put more trust in him, and she becomes one of his closest friends once he takes the plunge and 'clues her in' to the true reality and nature of things.
She admits to some romantic attraction to Harry as well, but is unwilling to act on it for several reasons. Firstly, she worries about complicating or ruining their friendship and working relationship. She also worries about their difference in lifespans: as a wizard, Harry will live for centuries, and she wants someone who can grow old with her and raise a family.
Karrin is the oldest child of Collin and Marion Murphy, and she is somewhere in her early thirties at the time of Storm Front. She has at least two brothers and at least one sister, who are seen in Blood Rites. In Blood Rites, Harry learns that before her father's suicide, when Karrin was 11, Collin Murphy was a senior detective in the Chicago PD and a "black cat" investigator, covering the same territory as the modern-day S.I. department.
After the events of Proven Guilty, Murphy is demoted to sergeant and replaced by co-worker Detective Sergeant John Stallings, Murphy's partner. This is a major blow to Murphy, but due to Stallings' respect for Dresden it does not significantly impact events in the series.
The first meeting of Karrin and Dresden is mentioned in "Restoration of Faith", a short story chronicling Harry's life before The Dresden Files as a private eye for Ragged Angel Investigations.
During the events of Small Favor, Karrin briefly comes into possession of Fidelacchius, one of the swords wielded by the Knights of the Cross. She is able to make use of its power to defend Harry from a Denarian, in what Harry calls a "job offer." Karrin, however, declines to become the sword's new bearer because she has already sworn an oath to protect Chicago, and it remains in Harry's care. It appears the Dresdenverse God is quite in favor of how she approaches her job.
Over the course of Small Favor she confesses that her sexual friendship with Kincaid, the Hellhound, is being disrupted by her romantic feelings for him, and she attracts the interest of the holy knight Sanya who calls her "tiny, but fierce," though he could have simply been considering persuading her to become the third Knight of the Cross. She also confesses to some job frustration, knowing that her demotion will never be reversed and she won't be in a position to command again, due to her discredited standing in the force.
During the final battle in Changes she again comes into possession of Fidelacchius. After the events of Changes she expects to "retire" from the Chicago PD. Harry again asks her to become a Knight of the Cross, an offer she deferred judgement on saying she "had rebound boyfriends. Not interested in a rebound career".
In the novella "Aftermath" (told from Murphy's point of view) she returns to meet with Harry (approximately 45 minutes after "Changes") on the "Water Beetle" but only finds a blood spattered boat and Harry nowhere to be found. She finds herself fired from the police force and is approached by the Alpha werewolf Will Borden to help find his wife Georgia, who is 7 months pregnant. Georgia, along with many other "low-level talents", have been taken by the Fomor. Marcon's supernatural bodyguard Gard reveals that this is not only happening in Chicago, but all over the world. This is most likely occurring as a result of the extinction of the Red Court, as the Formor (and other supernatural organizations) try to fill the power void. Murph, Will and the returning Marci find themselves face to face with a number of Fomor in the rescue attempt of Georgia and the others. Before the fight she considers going back for "Fidelacchius", but reasons it's not the sword, but the person behind the sword that matters most.
In Ghost Story
Ghost Story (Butcher novel)
Ghost Story is the 13th book in The Dresden Files, Jim Butcher's continuing urban fantasy series about Chicago wizard Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden...
, Murphy expands on the protective role she embarks on in "Aftermath". Accepting grudging assistance from Gard and Marcone, she establishes a base of operations on the site of Dresden's former residence and organizes several of Dresden's mundane resources to deal with the problems caused by the power vacuum left following the destruction of the Red Court. Once news of Dresden's absence got out, supernatural beings began to prey on the mundane world, and in particular, Chicago. It is clear that she still detests Marcone and resists accepting his interference in day to day operations, but Murphy has become a harder character and learned to face threats that normally Harry would have dealt with using the resources she has available.
Murphy has organized a team consisting of Will, Georgia and the Alphas, Butters, the ParaNet, and Daniel and Molly Carpenter to hold off the forces that now feel free to invade what was once under Harry Dresden's protection. After being in denial of Harry's death finally comes to realization after Mort confirms that it was in fact Harry's ghost, and knew she didn't want to believe the truth which meant Harry really is gone.
Abilities
Karrin Murphy is a gifted policewoman with street cop, detective, and command experience. She is a practiced sharpshooter (and makes her own ammo), next to fearless, inventive, adaptable, and fully capable of holding her own in violent combat. She owns a motorcycle and rides it frequently, and doubtless has been through combat driving schools.Her most significant asset, however, has proven to be her extensive martial arts ability, as she has been practicing aikido since she was about four years old and has practiced martial arts in general every day since she was seventeen. While she does not consider herself a truly advanced student, she has studied Aikido, Wing Chun, Jujitsu, Kali, Savate, Krav Maga, Tae Kwan Do, Judo, boxing, and Shaolin Kung Fu. She can thrash all of the cops on the force, beat the snot out of Harry with little effort, and throw around people and beings much bigger and stronger than she is, in more than one case having brought Hendricks to his knees with simple wrist or finger locks. She is also Harry's instructor in staff combat. She keeps herself in excellent physical condition via running, working out and regular martial arts bouts. So far, the only person in the series who is probably a more skilled infighter than Murphy is The Hellhound, who admittedly has several hundred years experience on her and partial demonic abilities.
Recent developments show her a capable swordswoman, wielding Fidelacchius in Changes
Changes (novel)
Changes is the 12th book in The Dresden Files, Jim Butcher's continuing series about wizard detective Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden...
during the final battle against the Red Court.
Television series
Debuting on January 21, 2007, the Sci Fi ChannelSci Fi Channel (United States)
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
TV adaptation
The Dresden Files (TV series)
The Dresden Files is an American television series based on the books by Jim Butcher. It premiered January 21, 2007 on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States and on Space in Canada. It was picked up by Sky One in the UK and began airing on February 14, 2007.The series ran for a single season of...
co-starred Valerie Cruz
Valerie Cruz
Valerie Cruz is an American actress.Cruz was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey of Cuban ancestry. She attended Florida State University and received a BFA theatre degree....
as the Lt. Murphy. The character's name was changed to "Connie," short for Constanza (as remarked on by Harry in the episode "Rules of Engagement"), in order to avoid confusion with an actual officer in the Chicago Police Department
Chicago Police Department
The Chicago Police Department, also known as the CPD, is the principal law enforcement agency of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States, under the jurisdiction of the Mayor of Chicago. It is the largest police department in the Midwest and the second largest local law enforcement agency in the...
named Karyn Murphy.
Although Murphy is described in the novels as being short-statured, blonde, and blue-eyed, the character as portrayed by Cruz is brunette and dark eyed in appearance. Cruz originally tried out for the part of Susan Rodriguez, but was cast as Murphy based on her ability to effectively portray the character's personality in spite of the difference in appearance. In the series, Murphy works with Detective Sid Kirmani, and appears to be a member of the Department's ordinary homicide unit, as Special Investigations is not mentioned. In "Birds of a Feather," she talks with Sheryl Sharp about her divorce, and indicates that she has a nine-year-old daughter named Anna who lives with her father, whereas in the novels she has no children from either of her marriages.