Ketanomin

Ketanomin is a fast-acting anesthetic whose presence links the deaths of Marit Olsen, Charlotte Lolles, and Borgny Stem-Myhre, yet its role as an investigative clue remains unresolved. The drug’s medical dangers and restricted status in Norway and the European Union sharpen the question of access; its availability elsewhere suggests possible routes of supply, not proof of where the killer obtained it.

Medical Profile and Risks

When Beate Lønn connects Ketanomin in Marit Olsen’s blood with the same drug found in Charlotte Lolles and Borgny Stem-Myhre, she identifies a common element across the three cases. Harry Hole understands that it acts quickly as a sedative, but is surprised that he has not heard of it before. Beate explains that Ketanomin is a cheap copy of Ketalar, a drug used for anesthesia. Its stated medical advantage is that patients continue to breathe on their own; the same account also makes clear that this does not make Ketanomin safe.

Beate says the drug was banned in the 1990s in Norway and the European Union because of its side effects. Her description gives the ban a practical significance for the investigation: Ketanomin is not an ordinary, readily available anesthetic in Norway. She adds that it is now found almost exclusively in developing countries. The contrast between its restricted use in Europe and its continued presence elsewhere turns the drug’s geography into a question about access and supply.

Sigurd Altman expands on the risks and difficulty of obtaining it. He describes Ketanomin as powerful enough to knock a patient off their feet, and notes the risk of stomach ulcers as a less welcome side effect. An overdose can cause cardiac arrest, and the drug is also used in suicides. His account reinforces the distinction between a substance employed for anesthesia and one whose potency can make it dangerous outside carefully controlled use. He, too, stresses that Ketanomin has been prohibited in Norway and the European Union for several years.

A Clue Across Three Murders

The blood-test finding gives Ketanomin more than a medical description: it is a shared forensic clue in the murders of Marit Olsen, Charlotte Lolles, and Borgny Stem-Myhre. In the conversation about Marit’s death, Beate states that her blood contains the drug, as did Charlotte’s and Borgny’s. The recurrence invites the investigators to look for a connection among the cases rather than treating each victim’s exposure as an isolated fact.

That connection does not itself explain how the drug was administered, who supplied it, or who used it. The evidence establishes the presence of Ketanomin in the victims’ blood, while the circumstances of its availability make the source a question worth pursuing. Keeping those claims separate matters: a repeated substance can link cases without identifying the person responsible or providing a complete account of the murders.

Ban, Supply, and Possible Routes

When Harry Hole asks Sigurd Altman where someone might obtain Ketanomin, Altman names former Soviet states or Africa as possibilities. Harry then asks specifically about the Congo, and Altman confirms that it could be a source. He explains that after the European ban, producers sold the drug at dumping prices, allowing it to reach poor countries, as it had in the past. This exchange supplies a plausible account of how a prohibited European drug might remain available elsewhere.

The discussion is about possible access, not a demonstrated chain of custody. No evidence here establishes that the killer acquired Ketanomin in the Congo, in Africa, or in a former Soviet state. Altman’s answer broadens the investigators’ understanding of where the drug might be found, but it does not locate the source used in these murders. The distinction preserves the clue’s investigative value without turning a general supply pattern into a solved fact.

Investigative Limits and Narrative Significance

The Kriminalamt had already followed Ketanomin for a time as its most important lead, Beate says, but the effort yielded no result. The drug’s recurrence therefore creates a pointed contrast: it appears to offer a concrete bridge among three victims, yet knowing its name and broad distribution is not enough to advance the case to an answer. The lead is significant precisely because it is specific, and frustrating because it remains incomplete.

The exchanges also set Ketanomin apart from Harry Hole’s own drug use. Harry describes opium as an alternative to drinking, and later prepares to smoke it while under personal and professional pressure. That material concerns his self-medication; it does not suggest that he uses Ketanomin or connect his opium to the murders. In the narrative, the two drugs occupy different contexts: Ketanomin is a forensic trace and a problem of supply, while opium is part of Harry’s attempt to control his drinking. Their juxtaposition underscores that a drug’s significance depends on how it enters a life or an investigation, not simply on its chemical identity.