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Book Review of Venom in the Blood

Venom in the Blood
Kmarie avatar reviewed on + 529 more book reviews


True Crime story. In 1978 Gerald Gallego and his common-law wife Charlene began a three-year spree of kidnapping, rape and murder in California and Nevada. Eventually they took 10 lives. Former L.A. policeman-lawyer-judge van Hoffmann presents in-depth portraits of this oddly matched pair, he a sociopath raised in the streets, his father executed for murder, and she an indulged, extremely intelligent daughter of upper-middle class parents, a bisexual passive in her dealings with men and aggressive with women. The couple, we're told, could not achieve sexual satisfaction without raping, then killing young girls whom they called their "love slaves." After their capture Charlene turned state's evidence. Gerald is now awaiting execution, while his wife is serving a 16-year sentence. Both are imprisoned at San Quentin in California. The story of these serial killers makes for intriguing, if horrifying, reading.