Venom in the Blood

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. Doubleday Book Club alternate. (July)