# John McMurdo — The Valley of Fear character guide

> John McMurdo in The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Brother John McMurdo, McMurdo, Brother McMurdo, Mr. McMurdo, Jack McMurdo, Jack, The Bodymaster McMurdo, Friend McMurdo

**First appearance:** 0009-i-the-man

## Snapshot

A newcomer with a quick temper and quicker fists who rises fast in the Scowrers, the secret order ruling Vermissa Valley by fear.

## Who they are

McMurdo is the man other members confide in, the one Morris seeks out when a Pinkerton detective is rumored to be on the lodge's trail. He listens, keeps secrets, and does not flinch when murder is named as the remedy, yet his past and his loyalties stay carefully unreadable. His cool head and readiness for violence make him both useful and dangerous to the brotherhood that has taken him in.

## In the story

### [The Scowrers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_valley_of_fear_se/chapters/part-ii-the-scowrers)

Arrives in Vermissa Valley and joins the Scowrers, revealing his true identity as Pinkerton agent Birdy Edwards.

### [The Man](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_valley_of_fear_se/chapters/i-the-man)

Arrives in Vermissa as a self-confessed fugitive, boards with the Shafters, and quickly establishes a reputation for defiance.

### [II: The Bodymaster](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_valley_of_fear_se/chapters/ii-the-bodymaster)

Arrives at Shafter's boarding house, quickly becomes popular, courts Ettie, and reveals he is a Freeman. Refuses to leave despite threats from Baldwin.

### [Lodge 341, Vermissa](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_valley_of_fear_se/chapters/iii-lodge-341-vermissa)

Moves lodgings, deepens bond with Ettie, confronts Captain Marvin, undergoes initiation into Lodge 341, and volunteers for a murder job.

### [IV: The Valley of Fear](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_valley_of_fear_se/chapters/iv-the-valley-of-fear)

Awakens after initiation, reads about the Herald attack, meets Morris secretly, is arrested and acquitted.

### [V: The Darkest Hour](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_valley_of_fear_se/chapters/v-the-darkest-hour)

Rises in popularity after arrest and acquittal; confronts Ettie over a secret letter; participates in the murder of Dunn and Menzies.

### [Danger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_valley_of_fear_se/chapters/vi-danger)

Now Inner Deacon, he is the central figure in the chapter, receiving the warning about Birdy Edwards, destroying evidence, and orchestrating the lodge's response.

### [VII: The Trapping of Birdy Edwards](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_valley_of_fear_se/chapters/vii-the-trapping-of-birdy-edwards)

Reveals himself as Birdy Edwards, the Pinkerton detective, after luring the Scowrers into a trap.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_valley_of_fear_se/characters/john_mc_murdo
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_valley_of_fear_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_valley_of_fear_se/characters