# Ian Murdoch — The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes character guide

> Ian Murdoch in The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Murdoch, Mr. Murdoch, Mr. Ian Murdoch

**First appearance:** 0010-the-adventure-of-the-lion-s-mane

## Snapshot

A mathematics coach at a boys' school, brilliant and unpopular, whose cold precision and foreign manner make him the easiest man in the building to accuse.

## Who they are

Murdoch teaches mathematics at a respectable school where his sharp tongue and un-English reserve have earned him few friends among staff or students. When a death occurs on the grounds, his odd habits and his known friction with colleagues make him the convenient suspect, and the school's reputation demands a quick answer. Holmes must look past the surface of a man whom everyone dislikes to determine whether unpopularity and guilt are the same thing — a distinction the case turns on.

## Relationships

### [Harold Stackhurst](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_casebook_of_sherlock_holmes_se/characters/harold_stackhurst)

_professional_

Harold Stackhurst is a school headmaster and Ian Murdoch is a teacher, with a tense professional relationship.

### [Harold Stackhurst](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_casebook_of_sherlock_holmes_se/characters/harold_stackhurst)

_professional_

Harold Stackhurst is a school headmaster and Ian Murdoch is a teacher, with a tense professional relationship.

## In the story

### [The Adventure of the Lion's Mane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_casebook_of_sherlock_holmes_se/chapters/the-adventure-of-the-lion-s-mane)

Mathematics master at The Gables; initially suspected due to his secret love for Maud Bellamy and his strained relationship with McPherson; later exonerated.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_casebook_of_sherlock_holmes_se/characters/ian_murdoch
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_casebook_of_sherlock_holmes_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_casebook_of_sherlock_holmes_se/characters